The aim of this study is to understand siblinghood in old age through the perspective of Czech older adults. Forty-one in-depth interviews were analyzed, and four themes characterizing siblinghood among older persons were identified in the data: (1) Siblinghood as a unique bond, understood through genetic relatedness, the sense of belongingness, shared memories, and awareness of being the last members of the family of origin. (2) Being consanguineous and, as a result, irrevocably bonded by mutual commitments. (3) Being emotionally supportive and ready for help if needed and as resources allow. (4) The rules of doing siblinghood: the genealogical rules vs. the rule of family of procreation priority; the rule of genetic relatedness vs. the selectivity rule, or rather the preferences of particular siblings; the rules of “good siblinghood” (being interested in themselves, mutual respect, no envy).
BaltesP. B.BaltesM. M. (1990). Psychological Perspectives on Successful Aging: The Model of Selective Optimization with Compensation. In BaltesP. B.BaltesM. M. (Eds.), Successful Aging. Perspectives from the Behavioral Science (pp. 1–34). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511665684.003
3.
BurbidgeJ.MinnesP. (2014). Relationship quality in adult siblings with and without developmental disabilities. Family Relations, 63(1), 148–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12047
CarstensenL. L. (1991). Selectivity theory: Social activity in life-span context. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 11(1), 195–217.
6.
CarstensenL.L.IsaacowitzD.M.CharlesS.T. (1999). Taking time seriously. A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54(3), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-66X.54.3.165
7.
CastrénA. M.WidmerE. D. (2015). Insiders and outsiders in stepfamilies: Adults’ and children’s views on family boundaries. Current Sociology, 63(1), 35–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114551650
8.
CharlesS. T.CarstensenL. L. (2008). Unpleasant situations elicit different emotional responses in younger and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 23(3), 495–504. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013284
9.
CharmazK. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage.
10.
CicirelliV. G. (1995). Sibling relationships across the life span. Plenum.
11.
ColemanP. G.Ivani-ChalianCh.RobinsonM. (1999). Self and identity in advanced old age: validation of theory through longitudinal case analysis. Journal of Personality, 67(5), 819–849. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00074
12.
ConnidisI. A. (1989). Contact between siblings in later life. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 14(4), 429–442. https://doi.org/10.2307/3340651
13.
ConnidisI. A. (1992). Life transitions and the adult sibling tie: A qualitative study. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54(4), 972–982. https://doi.org/10.2307/353176
ConnidisI. A. (2010). Family ties and aging. Pine Forge Press.
18.
ConnidisI. A. (2015). Exploring ambivalence in family ties: Progress and prospects. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(1), 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.1215
19.
ConnidisI. A.McMullinJ. A. (2002). Sociological ambivalence and family ties: A critical perspective. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64(3), 558–567. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00558.x
20.
DaviesK. (2014). Siblings, stories and the self: The sociological significance of young people’s sibling relationships. Sociology, 49(4), 679–695. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038514551091
21.
EriksenS.GerstelN. (2002). A labor of love or labor itself: Care work among adult brothers and sisters. Journal of Family Issues, 23(7), 836–856. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251302236597
22.
FinchJ.MasonJ. (1993). Negotiating family responsibilities. Routledge.
23.
JallinojaR. (2011). Obituaries as family assemblages. In JallinojaR.WidmerE. D. (Eds.), Families and kinship in contemporary Europe. Rules and practices of relatedness (pp. 78–91). Palgrave MacMillan.
KramerA. M. (2011). Kinship, affinity and connectedness: Exploring the role of genealogy in personal lives. Sociology, 45(3), 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038511399622
26.
LefkowitzE. S.FingermanK. L. (2003). Positive and negative emotional feelings and behaviors in mother-daughter ties in late life. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(4), 607–617. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.17.4.607
27.
LüscherK. (2005). Looking at ambivalences: The contribution of a “new-old” view of intergenerational relations to the study of the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, 10(4), 93–128. https://doi.org/10.93-128.10.1016/S1040-2608(05)10003-3
28.
LüscherK.PillemerK. (1998). Intergenerational ambivalence: A new approach to the study of parent–child relations in later life. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(2), 413–425. https://doi.org/10.2307/353858
29.
MerzE.-M.GierveldJ. (2016). Childhood memories, family ties, sibling support and loneliness in ever-widowed older adults: Quantitative and qualitative results. Ageing & Society, 36(3), 534–561. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X14001329
30.
MinerS.UhlenbergP. (1997). Intragenerational proximity and the social role of sibling neighbors after midlife. Journal of Applied Family Studies, 46(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.2307/585038
31.
MožnýI. (1991). Proč tak snadno…/why so easy: Some family reasons for the Velvet Revolution. Sociological Publishing House (SLON).
ParkS. M. (2014). Theory of Intergenerational Ambivalence: Is It the Perfect New Lens for Studying Intergenerational Relationships?Population Ageing, 7(4), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-014-9106-7
SilvaE. B.SmartC. (1999). The ‘‘new’’ practices and politics of family life. In SilvaE. B.SmartC. (Eds.), The new family? (pp. 1–12). Sage.
36.
SpitzeG.TrentK. (2006). Gender differences in adult sibling relations in two-child families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(4), 977–992. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-737.2006.00308.x
37.
SuitorJ. J.SechristJ.PlikuhnM.PardoS. T.GilliganM.PillemerK. (2009). The role of perceived maternal favoritism in sibling relations in midlife. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 71(4), 1026–1038. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00650.x
38.
SýkorováD. (2007). Autonomie ve stáří. Kapitoly z gerontosociologie/Autonomy in the Old Age. Chapters from Gerontosociology. Sociological Publishing House (SLON).
39.
TanskanenA.O.DanielsbackaM.JokelaM.David-BarrettT.RotkirchA. (2016). Diluted competition? Conflicts between full and half siblings in two adult generations. Frontiers in Sociology, 1, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2016.00006
VoorpostelM.BliesznerR. (2008). Intergenerational solidarity and support between adult siblings. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(1), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00468.x
VoorpostelM.van der LippeT.FlapG. (2012). For better or worse: Negative life events and sibling relationships. International Sociology, 27(3), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580911423051
44.
Walęcka-MatyjaK. (2015). Adult sibling familial relationship scale (ASFRS) – construction and psychometric properties. Preliminary report. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 172–189.
WidmerE.GirardinM. (2016). Actively generating one’s family: How elders shape their family configurations. In ScabiniE.RossiG. (Eds.), L´allungamento della vita. Una risorsa per la famiglia, un´opportunità per la società (pp. 85–104).Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Centro di Ateneo Studi e Ricerche sulla Famiglia.
49.
WidmerE. D.JallinojaR. (2008). Beyond the nuclear family. Families in a configurational perspective. Peter Lang.
