2026/05/01 by Luisa Weissberg · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Cognitive Abilities and Testing #Family Support in Illness #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
paper · doi:10.1332/20467435y2026d000000088
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
This article explores how children conceptualise the boundary between non-violent and violent sibling conflicts. It draws on three case studies from the Children’s Well-Being in German-speaking Switzerland (2021-25) project, each involving potentially violent sibling conflicts. Following the initial interpretation, the cases were discussed in a focus group with newly recruited children. Popitz’s power-informed understanding of violence served as a sensitising concept during the analysis. While I analytically frame the cases as involving violence, children in the focus group did not always reach a consensus. Generally, they identified certain behaviours as emotionally or physically harmful and proposed solutions, such as parental involvement or verbal communication, indicating that they perceived the situations as boundary crossing. Simultaneously, some children relativised the harm of particular behaviours, referring to age, birth order or socio-geographical discourse. The article raises further questions about the responsible actors, their obligation and the timing of involvement in children’s potentially violent sibling conflicts.