The Only Child

Paper Summary:

The developmental-psychology context of the child reared without siblings has emerged as an issue in recent years. The paper shows, however, that evidence proves that only children do not appear to be at a significant disadvantage in regard to personality or other aspects of development and functioning. The paper shows that in fact "onlies", as only children are called, show higher intelligence and social skills than children from multi-sibling families.

From the Paper:

"The relevance of these insights into the only-child phenomenon is that the culture seems quick to point out the negative effects of being an only child, though not as frequently able to appreciate the potentially negative psychological influences of the appearance of a new baby at home and the sometimes difficult negotiations associated with sibling influences over the course of childhood (Shaffer, 1998). Undoubtedly siblings may contribute to development, but by no means is it clear that they are necessary to development or useful to optimal development of a child's sense of self and others. According to Katz (1987), research on "onliness" and order of birth of siblings does not confirm hypothesized disadvantages to an absence of siblings in a household, at least if parents of onlies are sensible enough to expose their children sufficiently to the learning and developmental opportunities available with age peers."

More papers on The Only Child:

• Analytical Essay # 117811 : "Only Child and Sibling Children"
• Analytical Essay # 56419 : "The Virtual Child"
• Term Paper # 142853 : "Being Raised as an Only Child"

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