"Sibling estrangement is not just about not talking to your brother or sister. It has much broader ramifications, as sibling rejection can profoundly shape an individual's personality and their roles in the family. The estranged may lose the opportunity to be a sibling, in-law, aunt or uncle, and even son or daughter, as estrangement often metastasizes and family members choose sides. These shifting alliances may contribute to greater alienation."
"Many estranged people who have experienced rejection from family members struggle to trust. The estranged person may choose to have a few, intense friendships and several superficial relationships. Betrayal trauma undermines attachment and disrupts a sense of safety in close relationships. The person may be responding to people in their current life as they did to their siblings way back when."
Sibling estrangement extends beyond silence between siblings and can reshape personality, family roles, and self-esteem. Estrangement can remove opportunities to occupy roles such as sibling, in-law, aunt or uncle, or even son or daughter when family members take sides and alliances shift. Childhood sibling interactions instill fundamental social qualities—tolerance, generosity, loyalty—that influence later relationships, and unresolved dynamics can produce sibling transference where old feelings resurface in adulthood. Rejection damages trust, prompting some estranged individuals to prefer a few intense friendships alongside many superficial ties. Betrayal trauma undermines attachment and disrupts a sense of safety in close relationships.
Read at Psychology Today
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