The Use of Behavioral Indicators of Sibling Commitment Among Emerging Adults

摘要

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the role that commitment plays in emerging adult sibling relationships. In the first study, 148 participants provided 436 examples of how they showed sibling commitment that were coded into 11 behavioral indicators of commitment. In the second study, 140 participants indicated the extent to which they used each of the 11 behavioral indicators of commitment with a targeted sibling and completed measures of relational and communication satisfaction in reference to the sibling. Results indicate that (a) siblings behaviorally express their commitment through 11 behaviors: tangible support, emotional support, informational support, esteem support, network support, everyday talk, shared activities, verbal expressions, nonverbal expressions, protection, and intimate play; (b) protection was the most frequently used behavioral indicator of commitment; (c) the behavioral indicators of sibling commitment generally are directly related to relational and communication satisfaction; and (d) the emotional support, network support, and shared activities behavioral indicators are predictors of relational and communication satisfaction.