the.com/sibling rivalry
Love and competition sharing a bedroom since forever.
means The jealousy, competition, and conflict that arise between brothers and sisters, usually over attention, resources, or parental approval.
from A 20th-century phrase built from two older words: 'sibling' comes from Old English 'sibb,' meaning kinship or relatedness, revived in the early 1900s by scientists who needed a neutral term covering brothers and sisters alike; 'rivalry' traces back to Latin 'rivalis,' meaning someone who shares the same stream or river — originally a neighbor you might quarrel with over water rights. The specific pairing 'sibling rivalry' took hold through early-to-mid 20th-century psychology, as researchers and parenting experts started naming the friction between brothers and sisters as a distinct, studyable thing rather than just ordinary squabbling.
- origin
- predates civilization, see Cain and Abel
- birth order
- middle children negotiate most, research shows
- peak intensity
- usually ages 10 to 15
- adult twist
- often becomes fierce loyalty later