Using Gold's Typology of Adult Sibling Relationships to Explore Sibling Affectionate Communication

For many relational participants, "few forms of relational communication are as simultaneously vital and risk-laden as affectionate communication" (Floyd, 1997, p. 321). This notion is particularly applicable to adult sibling relationships because unlike romantic relationships and friendships, the sibling relationship is ruled by a paradoxical nature in that participants can simultaneously express liking and loving for each other while at the same time behave in an antagonistic manner toward each other (Mikkelson, 2014). This paradoxical nature is revealed through Gold's (1989) typology of adult sibling relationships, in which she posits that adult sibling relationships can be classified into one of five categories or types--intimate, congenial, loyal, apathetic, and hostile--based on the presence (or absence) of closeness, emotional and instrumental support, psychological involvement, contact, acceptance and approval, and envy and resentment in the sibling relationships. In the Communication Studies discipline, due to a low number of participants identifying their sibling relationships as either apathetic or hostile, family communication scholars have collapsed the apathetic and hostile types into one type, resulting in their study of four types of sibling relationships: intimate, congenial, loyal, and apathetic/hostile (Goodboy, Myers, & Patterson, 2009; Myers & Goodboy, 2010; Myers & Odenweller, 2015). Using these four types of sibling relationships, the purpose of this study is to examine whether individuals differ in the frequency of, importance of use, and appropriateness of use of affectionate communication in their sibling relationships. Gold (1989) posited that several qualitative differences distinguish the intimate, congenial, loyal, and apathetic/hostile sibling relationships from one another. In an intimate sibling relationship, which is considered akin to a "best" friendship, individuals develop a sibling relationship based on mutual empathy, concern, love, and understanding. They experience a strong sense of psychological involvement and emotional interdependence, share a history of positive experiences, and are more than willing to provide each other with support when needed. While they may occasionally get angry with each other or feel hurt, they rarely experience envy or resentment and regardless of their physical proximity to each other, they remain in consistent and frequent contact. In a congenial sibling relationship, individuals develop a sibling relationship based on caring and friendship, resulting in the label of "good" friend. They are emotionally involved in each other's lives and provide support for each other when needed, although the sibling seeking the support often has to request it, and their contact with each other is less consistent and frequent than intimate siblings. Congenial siblings are more likely to express disagreement and engage in arguments than intimate siblings, but like intimate siblings, they do not let envy or resentment control their relationships. In a loyal sibling relationship, individuals consider their sibling relationships to be bound by their shared family background rather than by friendship. While they feel obligated to offer support and care when needed, which they do quickly when a sibling experiences a crisis, they are neither as emotionally involved with their siblings nor do they possess the same levels of empathic concern as intimate and congenial types. Physical proximity plays a bigger role than psychological involvement in maintaining their sibling relationships. In an apathetic/hostile sibling relationship, individuals act indifferently toward their siblings and make little effort to behave otherwise. Their relationships lack positive psychological involvement and solidarity; in fact, apathetic/hostile siblings are rarely concerned that their relationships lack closeness or that their contact with each other is minimal. If they do experience any psychological involvement, this involvement is centered on their negative feelings toward each other, such as feelings of disdain, disgust, or disapproval. …