Sibling bond Why is it important?

The bond between brothers and sisters is of great importance from a psychological point of view.

Popular myths and tales with brothers as protagonists are well known. From Cain and Abel, Thor and Loki, to Hansel and Gretel and the Greek Pleiades. Brotherhood is a very strong bond and as such, crossed by multiple emotions. They can fluctuate between love and admiration, competition, envy, and resentment.

Brotherhood, like any bond, has to be built. There are brothers and sisters who have not been able to consolidate a bond, for whatever reasons. And, in these cases, perhaps much of what we will describe here does not fit into that context. However, even in them, we can think that any rupture or distance is affected by the unconscious connections and the complexity of the link.

We are talking about a bond that is generated without choice through, at least initially. Life is shared and early competition for the love of parents. The achievements, the failures, the identity of each one, the position that they occupy within the family framework have direct effects on the reality of the other.

The bases of upbringing are shared, the most primitive development situations, those that are difficult to explain to others. The brothers have experienced, although from different places, very similar situations. They are part of an unconscious network that weaves its history with the same points, although grouped differently.

It is shared from genetics and biology to very deep psychological aspects. With this intensity of bond, the union and the rupture can be just as deep. There are many emotions that intervene, not only consciously but above all through unconscious aspects.

The brothers share the most primitive bases, their origins, the transgenerational inheritance, in addition to all the tributary of the collective unconscious. The key point with these links is, on the one hand, how to differentiate oneself, how to choose the different individual paths from that common family matrix. And in other cases, what unites them, and if there is something strong enough for those links to be perpetuated.

There are countless stories of brothers who support each other, who build a network of support where the parental figures faltered. And there are also frequent stories of discord, ruptures loaded with resentment. 

The brotherhood can only be sustained in a healthy bond if both parties are willing. Forcing the bond with a brother or sister who shows no intention of reciprocating is just as damaging as doing so with anyone else.

Given the possibility, the sibling bond can allow both individuals to work on their own aspects, and, in many cases, heal subjectively. The experiences of each one contribute to a more comprehensive panorama of the lived past, helping to rethink, exchange, and build together new creative ways of being, based on what has been experienced.

It can be an enriching bond if the shadows that we often cast on them are transcended. The brotherhood can be a firm bond and an unconditional accompaniment with a mutual understanding that transcends the imaginable. If not, it is worth observing the adventures that brothers and sisters go through in literature, myths, and popular tales.

 

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