Abstract

The Authors studied - in couples of young adult siblings - the hypothesis that gender, gender association in the couple, birth sequence, having or not other siblings, and cohabitation may influence the personal representation of some characteristics of the relationship and of resemblances and differences. 46 couples of siblings (M: 38; F: 54), aged between 20 and 32, were submitted the Dunn and Plomin (1990) questionnaire concerning differential experience in siblings, and - before that - were asked to describe the brother/sister, evaluate resemblances, differences and forms of response of the other one to the same questions; those who were no longer cohabiting were also questioned about the change in their relationship. The results established that sister couples show knowledge and strong each other's appreciation, albeit strongly inclining to set differences; firstborns and sisters are characterized by caring and commitment to the other; fraternal bond is perceived as very intense and sometimes more authentic after parting.