Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan

Running head: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFESPAN
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFESPAN
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For a family, arrival of a baby as a new member is in fact an exciting thing but also this
exciting thing with it huge changes in the family, that all the members have to adjust to. The
change is of more challenge when there is an older sibling at the home; welcoming the new child
would mean that the older sibling would also have to have some significant adjustments and so
do the parents (Coles, 2018). This might prove to be one of the biggest gifts that parents can give
to their older sibling only if the sibling is guided by the changes properly. Most importantly, it
must be mentioned that, there have been ample research on the impact that is imposed on the
older sibling at the arrival of a new baby, and almost all the outcomes have clearly indicated that
there is always an evident impact on the personality development of the older sibling due to this
change (Lamb, 2014). The personality of the older sibling will be mostly affected on the way
he/she is seen to react around the new baby. The developmental stage of the older sibling is also
hugely affected on the analysis of the way they take the notion that they have to share the
attention that they used to get from their parents with this new baby.
In accordance to the Ecological Systems Theory formulated by an American
psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner (1992), all the children’s inherent qualities interact with the
kind of environment they reside in, and this interaction leads to influence the growth and
development of the children. As a matter of fact, the theory of Bronfenbrenner gives focus on the
studying of children within multiple environments that are known as the ecological systems so
that they can have a clear idea of their development. The theory also states that the ecological
system of home is the most intimate ecological system where the development and growth of a
child mostly takes place (Volling et al., 2014). If the theory of ecological system is implemented
on finding the impact that the arrival of a new baby does on the older sibling, it would show how
the macrosystem forces like values of culture would play the significant role in forming future

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relationship between the siblings and the growth of the older sibling as a result of that
relationship (Riggio, 2000). In his context, it must be mentioned that the theory of Ecological
system is based on a model that is divided into five types of ecosystems, namely, Chronosystem,
Macrosystem, Exosystem, Mesosystem and Microsystem. The Microsystem is the part of the
theory that refers to everyday life’s immediate contexts like neighborhoods and family (Dunn,
2017). The forces that tend to work at this level helps in supporting involved and close
relationships between siblings. In addition to this, the Exosystem is also an important factor since
it indicates the impact that is shown on their personality through the effects of the Microsystem;
for instance, if parents have long working hours in their workplace, it imposes a huge impact on
the care -giving responsibility of the older sibling for the new baby and hence the relationship
that is formed between these two siblings tend to be more complementary rather than
egalitarianism (Hindle & Sherwin-White, 2014). As a matter of fact, all the levels of the theory
bring contextual influence on the individual development of the older siblings and are hugely
connected with sibling relationships.
There are sibling preparation classes that help the parents to prepare their older child to
welcome the new baby in their life and especially in the life of the older siblings, since they are
the one who have to adjust with the whole new idea of a new member of a family which takes
most of their parents’ attention to themselves (Tibbetts & Scharfe, 2015). Therefore, if the
Microsystem consists of a caring family that has prepared their elder child for the arrival of the
new baby in the house and showed them how dependent the new sibling is on each and all of the
family members including the older sibling, it is highly relevant that the older sibling will
develop a personality of an older sibling with love and care for the baby and there will be less
chances of a sense of sibling rivalry within the older sibling. On the other hand, when the

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Microsystem fails to prepare the child for the huge upcoming change, the development of the
older sibling turns out to be aggressive; they tend to be rude and jealous towards the baby, throw
tantrums when they are not given proper attention. To some extent, this kind of behavior is
normal for a child in order to cope up with the change that arrives in the form of a new baby
(Kriss, Steele & Steele, 2018). As long as the parents take a positive approach in dealing with
this issue, a child will have optimistic development across his/her lifespan. Transition to the
phase of siblinghood is a huge deal for a child and several empirical studies have shown that this
transition has been proved to be disruptive for most of the children; however, it must be noted
that the evidences that were provided in these studies showed an overwhelming changes in the
first born child, but none of the evidences particularly pointed out that the arrival of a new born
baby will be definitively have a disruptive development in the older siblings (Marlin, 2016).
Keeping aside all the issues that arise due to the change brought about by the arrival of a
new sibling in the house, it cannot be denied that there is an attachment between the siblings
which might not surface immediately; however, there are certain typical behavior that shows the
existence of this attachment between the brothers and the sisters. As stated by Bowlby &
Ainsworth (2013) in their Attachment Theory, a profound and enduring emotional bond exists
which is known as ‘attachment’ and this attachment links one person to another through time and
space. Their theory also states that it is not necessary that this attachment will be mutual on both
the sides; one person might not share the same connection that the other person feels. However,
the existence of an emotionally attached connection is revealed through a series of particular
behaviors, especially in the children (Howe, 2017). Instances would include closeness with the
person to whom they are attached to and seek more chances to get closer with them especially at
times when they feel upset or are threatened. In the year 1930, Bowlby treated emotionally

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disturbed children in a Child Guidance Clinic situated in London and his working experience
from that time led him to a conclusion that a child’s relationship with the mother is of extreme
importance for their social, cognitive and emotional development (Williams, Riggs & Kaminski,
2016). He again made an observation that when children were separated from their mothers, they
felt extreme distress; hence the reason why older siblings might behave distressfully at the arrival
of a new sibling is understood (Flannery, 2016). In context to the attachment theory, the reason
for the aggressive development in the child can be explained and along with that, the loving and
caring development in the nature of the child for his/her new sibling can also be explained.
Bowlby defines this connection or attachment as “lasting psychological connectedness between
the human beings”; such connection exists between a mother and her child, as well as between
two siblings although the nature of the connection is a bit different from what a child has with
her mother (Howe & Recchia, 2014). It is observed that a child shows certain development after
the arrival of a new baby in the home that can be related with the attachment theory; initially
they might show jealousy and rudeness, however, in many cases it has been observed that the
child has shown signs of attachment with their new brother/sister (Song & Volling, 2015). For
instance at times when the baby cries and no one is around, the sibling tends to be the loving and
caring brother/sister and takes care of their sibling. Such behavior tends to strengthen the bond
between the siblings and the older siblings grow a sense of being the protector of their younger
siblings. It has also been seen that even though there exists sibling rivalry, yet the siblings tend to
support each other whenever circumstances demand; all of this is because of the attachment that
they have between them.
I have had a similar experience through my life event when my sister was born; I was
around five years old when I first saw my baby sister arrive at my home. My personal

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development has a great deal to do with the way I was prepared for the arrival of my sister by my
parents and the way I acted around my sister after she was born. I remember how my parents
broke the news of my sister’s arrival and I was excited to get a playmate for me. The
Microsystem around me was supportive and they helped me realize how tiny and helpless the
baby will be and how she will need my help every time; this helped to grow a sense of
responsibility in myself and I started preparing myself for taking the responsibility of my sister.
My parents helped me a lot at this time which is why when my sister arrived, I did not show any
kind of jealousy or rudeness at her. Neither did I feel any sense of resent afterwards when I used
to see her constantly with my mother; however, being just a child I felt upset at the fact that I
was getting very little attention those days and after a period of time, this unhappiness turned
into a separation anxiety for me and I started to become a little rude towards her. As a person, I
became very aggressive who would get upset and threw tantrums at the little lack of attention. It
was the Mesosystem that helped my personality develop into a better being; the long working
hours of my parents left me to spend more time with my sister and this is when I became aware
of the connection that I somehow had grown with that little baby. Every time she cried, I quietly
went near her to make her stop crying. At times I have also sneaked out of my bedroom at night
to check on her while she was sleeping and adjusted her blanket. I also found myself giving up
my favorite toy without a shred of tear or sadness just because it made her happy. I can sense the
existence of Attachment Theory now when I reflect at my childhood days; when my sister was
admitted in the same school, I ignored her just like any typical older sibling would do. However,
it was during lunch break that I got to know that my sister was being bullied by a group of boys
and I felt a sudden wave off anger at the thought of her being upset and threatened. The fight that

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followed made me suffer some consequences, but it made sure that my sister was left unharmed
for the rest of the years in that school.
It can be concluded that I had the influence of both the Ecological Systems Theory and
Attachment Theory in my experience of the life event. The Ecological Systems Theory had a
significant impact in shaping my personality as a sibling and my development. The Attachment
Theory however explains the reason of me being a better sibling. I would not deny that I and my
sister resided peacefully without any commotion in our household; we had our fights and our
sibling rivalry, but it was all as normal as it should be. I think the ecological systems around me
taught me to adjust to this new change and helped me develop into an older sibling who might
fight and be jealous of the new baby, but when in need, I would take care and take responsibility
of my sister effectively. My neighborhood and my family prepared me for this change and all the
ecological systems developed me into a grown- up sibling. As per the Attachment Theory, I was
not aware of it until I read about it later in life; through self reflection I figured out the kind of
emotional connection that my sister and I had. Today, I acknowledge this attachment that I have
with all of siblings and I am grateful for the impact that these theories imposed on my
development, not only as a sibling but also as a person.

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References:
Bowlby, J., & Ainsworth, M. (2013). The origins of attachment theory. Attachment Theory:
Social, Developmental, and Clinical Perspectives, 45.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Coles, P. (2018). The importance of sibling relationships in psychoanalysis. Routledge.
Dunn, J. (2017). Sibling relationships in early childhood. In Interpersonal Development (pp.
391-415). Routledge.
Flannery, D. (2016). On sibling love, queer attachment and American writing. Routledge.
Hindle, D. E., & Sherwin-White, S. E. (2014). Sibling matters: A psychoanalytic, developmental,
and systemic approach. Karnac Books.
Howe, N. (2017). Predicting normative and problematic family pathways to the transition to
siblinghood: commentary on Volling et al.'s monograph. Monographs of the society for
research in child development, 82(3), 184-195.
Howe, N., & Recchia, H. (2014). Sibling relationships as a context for learning and
development. Early Education and Development, 25(2), 155-159.
Kriss, A., Steele, M., & Steele, H. (2018). Sibling relationships: An attachment perspective.
In Sibling Matters (pp. 82-95). Routledge.
Lamb, M. E. (2014). Sibling relationships across the lifespan: An overview and introduction.
In Sibling relationships (pp. 15-26). Psychology Press.

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Marlin, C. B. (2016). The transition to siblinghood: Early predictors of maladjustment (Doctoral
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Song, J. H., & Volling, B. L. (2015). Coparenting and children’s temperament predict firstborns’
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Williams, J. S., Riggs, S. A., & Kaminski, P. L. (2016). A typology of childhood sibling
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