Identity Threat: Comparisons among sibling

By Alexis S

College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
September , 2010

Today’s class was very interesting and made me come to a few realizations. It was interesting to learn about the different threats to an adolescent’s identity. I think that I would be able to relate to some of the threats as I went through my adolescent years. I definitely felt that there were comparisons between the three children in my family. My brother was always the excellent student who played four sports and did incredible on the SATs. However, my sister never really did well in school, did not go out for any sports teams, and did not make any attempt to go out and get a job.

Being the baby and eight and ten years younger than my siblings, I had a lot to live up to. I had to achieve more than my sister but at the same time, I had to be right up to par with my brother. It was definitely difficult to compete with my siblings. The three of us did not care how each other did in school or outside of school but we all felt pressure from our parents. I did not only feel pressure from my parents by being compared to my siblings but also because of the way I performed in school. I was always very studious and hardworking in school. Ever since elementary school I would bring home good grades and excellent comments from my teachers. This lasted all throughout middle school. However, in the middle of high school my classes became difficult because I took honors and college level classes. I felt as if I was letting my parents down when I came home with a B or a B+. These times were very difficult and emotional for me but in the end I still succeeded and finished with good grades.