Mom Loved You Best: 2sibling Rivalry Lasts a Lifetime

According to the authors, competition among siblings has implications not only in the family but beyond as well. William Hapworth, a psychiatrist, and Mada Hapworth, a psychologist--both of them at Hapworth Centers, a medical-psychiatric facility in New York--and Heilman, a health writer, here discuss the roots of rivalry, including such factors as parental favoritism, gender, birth order and SOSs or ``siblings of significance,'' those children whose accomplishments serve as the standard by which others are measured. The authors examine how roles, labels, expectations and tactics develop in a family and how they can also extend into the workplace and romance. Finally, the authors offer guidance for improving--and enjoying--the sibling relationship. Filled with clinical case histories, this is an informative, coherent study on a much-overlooked topic. (Sept.)