Siblings' Motives for Talking to Each Other

ABSTRACT

The sibling relationship is an involuntary one that individuals often maintain throughout life (V. G. Cicirelli, 1995; M. A. Fitzpatrick & D. M. Badzinski, 1994; P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick, 1993). The authors investigated interpersonal communication motives in sibling relationships to examine the way in which siblings voluntarily maintain their relationships with one another over time. R. B. Rubin, E. M. Perse, and C. A. Barbato (1988) identified 6 primary motives that people have for communicating: affection, control, escape, inclusion, pleasure, and relaxation. Participants were 323 individuals who reported on why they communicated with 1 of their siblings. The authors found differences between male and females participants and between intact and nonintact families. The number of siblings and the birth order of siblings also appeared to affect motives for communicating. The authors discuss the implications and limitations.

Keywords:

• communication
• motives
• siblings

Notes

**p < .01.

*p < .05.

*p < .05.

*p < .05.

1. In our analyses of RQ ₄, we looked at the differences between firstborn siblings and nonfirstborn siblings. Although we know that firstborn siblings reported on a younger sibling, we did not address whether the nonfirstborn sibling reported on an older or younger sibling. Future studies should consider second-born, third-born, and youngest siblings.