ABSTRACT
This chapter explores further an aspect of the psychic impact of both female and male bodies on the developing female. The focus here is on siblings. Little has been written clinically about how siblings effect gender identity (e.g., see the history of how siblings, especially sisters, have been mentioned, but passed over in the literature, Kuba, 2011). The case examples here involve one particular group—adult women who grew up with brothers who were dependably difficult in the family. I choose this sibling constellation to examine, because it reverses the classic role of a favored brother with a denigrated sister. Sisters’ effects upon each other would be very interesting to explore also, but for the moment, I am looking at a sister with a problem brother. Questions to be explored here are: how have these particular sibling rivalries affected the building blocks of these particular women's body images? What are some implications for their gender identity struggles in development? What central unconscious fantasies have informed their related sexuality, their choice of lovers, and their interest in procreation and their work?
