The closer a person is to our heart, the easier they can hurt it. Who cares about what some distant stranger thinks of us? Our family, however…
A man recently turned to the internet, claiming his own brother had always tormented him. The cruel behavior started in childhood and persisted all the way to early adulthood, when he finally decided that enough was enough and cut ties not just with his toxic sibling but also with their parents who enabled him.
Things were seemingly going great, but one day, the man received a call that would force him to confront the past.
Some siblings have rivalries, but these brothers had a particularly toxic relationship
Image credits: Roberta Sant’Anna / Envato (not the actual photo)
And supposedly, only one of them was responsible for all the bad blood between them
The final straw came when his brother mocked his sexuality, and his parents turned on him too
Image credits: Prostock-studio / Envato (not the actual photo)
After years of estrangement, however, the brother reached out, requesting a kidney
Image credits: tonodiaz / Envato (not the actual photo)
Sometimes it’s not entirely clear who estranged who
In recent years, familial estrangement has become a hot topic. “Sibling estrangement can be really painful, and it’s also very stigmatized,” says Rin Reczek, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University, adding that people on both sides of an estrangement often feel a sense of failure, as though the split is somehow an indictment of them or their values.
According to her, there isn’t much data on how widespread sibling alienation is, but one German study suggests that almost 30 percent of siblings have experienced at least one period of estrangement.
A YouGov survey released last year found a similar figure and reported that nearly one-quarter of American adults say they are currently estranged from a sibling.
Dr. Reczek acknowledges that there are many reasons siblings become estranged. But research suggests that parental favoritism, whether real or imagined, can definitely drive a wedge between them, as can parental manipulation.
And while sibling estrangement can seem like the best path for some, psychologist Joshua Coleman, author of the book Rules of Estrangement, still describes it as a “cataclysmic event” for the family. Nieces, nephews, and cousins may lose touch, and parents may be pulled into taking sides, says Dr. Coleman, who has dealt with estrangement in his own family.
So quickly after posting his story, the man answered some of people’s biggest questions
Image credits: Ahmet Kurt / Envato (not the actual photo)
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Even though some people supported the man for his decision
There were quite a few critics as well
He then made another update, accusing his family even more
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By then, everyone was just done
