Am I More Mature Because I Had Siblings?

     Emotional maturity is when we are able to manage our emotions according to the circumstances. It only makes sense that our emotional maturity matures as we age. But does having siblings cause us to be more mature? When we have others to fight and share with, are we forced to mature?

    I have four half siblings. I was an only child for 12 years before they were in the picture. I think I matured more being on my own than with them around. With that said, I also feel I matured with them around. Picture a 12 year old taking care of babies and growing up with them with such a large age gap.

    Because adolescence is such an important period in a person's life, with lots of changes happening in the brain, it would make sense that as emotional maturity is taking place, having siblings has an effect on these changes. Another important factor is a person's birth order, which is the position of the child in the family. Many studies show that the oldest, first born in a family, are more emotionally mature than the others in the family.

    This particular study of 60 adolescent girls revealed there is no difference in emotional maturity with or without siblings. What it did find is that first borns are high achievers, with younger borns being outgoing, spoiled and rebellious. So although it makes a difference whether a person is a first born, middle born or last born, there are other factors that play into the emotional maturity of a person. Having siblings does not appear to be one of those factors.

    I guess that means I am mature because I am the first born. Although, some would argue with this hypothesis, I like to think that I am more mature not only because for a time I experienced not having siblings, but also that I had siblings. I received both experiences. 

Chatterjee, K., & B. S., B. (2021). Emotional Maturity among Adolescent Girl Children With and Without

        Siblings. Journal of Psychosocial Research, 16(2), 369–373. https://doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2021.16.02.16



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Does Playing an Instrument Help Your Brain as You Get Older?

       I always admired those who could play an instrument. I can remember as a kid my grandfather getting out the old accordion, or his harmonica. Sometimes we would get lucky and hear him play both at the same time! I learned how to play the piano and although I don't still play, I could pick it back up at any time. It's like riding a bike!     Little did I know, that when I learned to play the piano, it might actually help me in my old age. Not only that, I believe playing piano helps with our Math skills. But don't quote me on that! I've always thought everyone needs to at least learn how to read music and play one instrument. I believe that now more than ever.     But what does research say about this? There was a study done that investigated whether elderly musicians have better auditory and cognitive abilities over those who are non-musicians. The findings were that non-musicians in auditory and cognitive tasks...
Read more

Will I Be Happy When I Retire?

      Whether we are happy now or whether we will be happy when we retire, can we predict the outcome? One study reported by Dr. George Valiant and his colleagues in the April 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry looked into this. He was able to gather data over a lifetime of 700 men born around 1929. This study was able to provide insight into whether it can be predicted whether a person will be happy or not happy at retirement age.     To me this study seems especially valid because some of the men partipcating were from the inner-city neighborhood as well as privileged Harvard graduates. That is a good balance. It was noted that those with the most prestigious jobs retired later than those without. I found that to be very interesting. I would think if you already had money, you would stop working earlier and not the other way around.      The study found that the men that were already most satisfied with lif...
Read more

The Meaning of Life

     Many people don't realize it, but the meaning of life is a big one. Many spend more time arguing on social media than they do on figuring out what their purpose is. Does it matter? I think it does. What's the point if you don't dig deep and figure this out. Many of you don't care, but for those that do, keep reading.     The results of one study referenced below shows that the stronger the sense a person has about the meaning of life, the more confident they will be. This will decrease anxiety in difficult and stressful circumstances, which will help in problem-solving and overcoming difficulties. Yes please! Sign me up. If only it were that easy. But maybe it is. Why wouldn't you seek out your purpose so that you could lead a more fulfilling life. So many people don't want to bother and they lead a shallow life, retire and die. There has to be more.     In this study it was determined that self-efficacy is one of the two pillars of social co...
Read more