"Fathers displayed more discipline towards more emotional firstborns and to more instrumental and emotional secondborns" (Tucker, 2). Birth order does not explain, however, the personalities of siblings. Birth order can explain differences in the child's family experiences, and this may account for the differences in siblings" sense of individuality and life choices.
Every year, the public is becoming less and less tolerant of parental behaviors that are harmful to a child's welfare. These behaviors include yelling or swearing, ignoring the child's needs, and behaviors that are physiologically damaging to children. .
The Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect explored how children judged differential treatment of siblings. The journals" purpose of the study was to observe preschoolers" perceptions of maternal discipline's unfairness. "Aside from how children evaluate different practices and react to them, there has been an increasing interest in extreme forms of discipline. Practices that ignore the recipient child's needs, are arbitrary or discriminatory, are more recently seen to vary considerably across social and cultural groups, and across time" (Konstantareas, 2). .
The Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect aimed to examine discipline and its effectiveness. Turning to the child abuse issue, many researchers argue that "power assertion and love withdrawal are likely to be interpreted by children as signs that they are endangered, unloved, or worthless" (Konstantareas, 3). For many, power assertion through physical punishment such as spankings falls within the category of physical abuse and withdrawal of love practices related to this punishment may fall under the domain of physiological or emotional abuse. Emotional abuse has been shown statistically to have such negative outcomes as difficulty in developing an autonomous self and adequate peer relationships, having a low self-esteem, and engaging in suicidal concepts.
