Comments on: What do you think of only-children? Freak diseases or high achievers?

By: Mira@freereminder

Mira@freereminder — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:35:45 +0000

Apart from this sense of being “different” there is not much evidence that only children suffer unduly from the expected problems such as over-dependence, being unable to share etc. Certainly, these thing can arise in small families, but most children soon outgrow them, especially if their parents encourage them to be sociable and self-reliant. In fact, statistically only children are slightly more likely to succeed academically and in the workplace.
However, there is one problem often reported by only children, especially later in life: it can be a very lonely state. Many people deeply regret not having had siblings as they grow older.
There is a website for only children which includes a list of books on the subject:

By: Jane@kids lessons

Jane@kids lessons — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:35:59 +0000

he stereotype of the only child is harsh – spoilt, over-protected, egocentric and lacking in independence and social skills. Is there any truth in this?
Well, research suggests that the biggest single problem faced by only children is their sense that people perceive them in this stereotypical way! They often feel out of place in a society that assumes it’s normal to have siblings; though this perception is changing as families get smaller.
However, there is one problem often reported by only children, especially later in life: it can be a very lonely state. Many people deeply regret not having had siblings as they grow older.

By: Trisha

Trisha — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:44:06 +0000

Thanks, that’s interesting!

Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting! I didn’t know you had a blog – I will have to subscribe to it and to some of the others that Psychology Today has too!

By: Susan Newman, Ph.D.

Susan Newman, Ph.D. — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:54:47 +0000

Brain research explains why stereotypes form and why they stick. For that information and more on only children, check out my blog at Psychology Today magazine: Singletons (http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons)