Do “Siblings Always Hit Each Other”? Normalized Violence between Siblings in Childhood—Research, the Scale of the Phenomenon, and the Experiences of Adult Siblings Cover Image

Czy „rodzeństwo zawsze się bije”? Znormalizowana przemoc między rodzeństwem w dzieciństwie — stan badań, skala zjawiska, doświadczenia dorosłego rodzeństwa
Do “Siblings Always Hit Each Other”? Normalized Violence between Siblings in Childhood—Research, the Scale of the Phenomenon, and the Experiences of Adult Siblings

Author(s): Katarzyna Dębska
Subject(s): Psychology, Studies in violence and power
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: siblings; physical violence; psychological violence; childhood;

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the problem of sibling violence in childhood. According to the data, children are particularly often the victims of physical and psychological abuse from their brothers and sisters. However, this topic is relatively rarely discussed in Polish sociological and psychological literature. Among other reasons, there is a tendency to perceive violence between children as irrelevant and as an unavoidable element of childhood. The author has three purposes. First, she presents the state of expertise on sibling violence. Second, she presents data obtained from the Empowering Children Foundation on how many children report sibling violence to the Helpline and thus illustrates the scale of the phenomenon in Poland. Third, she attempts to show how the experience of sibling violence in childhood is reflected in the stories adults recount in regard to their biographies and their relations with their siblings. Cases are cited that illustrate the various circumstances of physical and psychological violence in sibling relations.

  • Issue Year: 64/2020
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 51-74
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Polish
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