Dirkx, Liliane
Sibling complex and peer relations
- 2023.
36
In psychoanalysis, the sibling complex was only belatedly recognized as a true organizer of psychic life, on a par with the Oedipus complex. It highlights the psychic work required to elaborate difficulties that arise in the relationships between siblings, real or imagined, within the triangle of “my siblings, my parents, and me.” The shape of the sibling complex depends on the level at which the subject has access to the object, and the way it intersects with their Oedipus complex. One might think that the outcome of the sibling complex determines the relationships the subject is able to establish with peers.