What exactly is only child syndrome?

Question

i'm and only child and just today i've been looking up only child syndrome, because i heard it mentioned and now i'm concerned that i have it, it seems like everything sounds like me, I heard clingy-ness is one and i am very clingy. what are some of the other symptoms and how can i fix them?

Answer 1

Positive sides:

1)He does have some minor difficulties making friends.

2) He is just a bit shy.

3) He still to this day has an imaginary friend. I think it's who you are, how you react to situations.

4) He is learning to mature at  his own speed.

5) problem learning to share, in fact I went out looking for friends to share with! I get along with almost everybody.

6) You are able to learn more about yourself and who you are at a younger age. This gives you a step up in life.

7) I think being an only child  teaches you to get along with others more because you learn how to make friends quickly to have someone to play with.

8) He will turn out to be confident and happy.

9)peculiar and exceptional” than kids with siblings.

10) no sibling rivalry

11) competitive spirit is not fostered

12) Since they had no rivals for their parents’ attention, only children would have difficulties in relationships if they were not universally liked.

Learning to get along is easier in a bigger family.

13) These stereotypes, which posit that only children may be not only spoiled, but also isolated, lonely, self-absorbed or somehow socially inept, went unchallenged for at least a generation.  

14) While much of the negative “only child” stereotype remains, some studies have even found that only children score higher on tests and reach higher levels of education, perhaps because of the one-on-one time they received from their parents.

15) No peer pressure.  

16) Learn faster.

17) more motivated in school

18) more likely to continue with higher education as their parents focus their financial resources and attention into one child  

19) more healthy and driven to success.

The benefits, however, may diminish as they get older.

Negative aspects:

1) Adult only children can have many challenges, including having to deal with aging parents on their own.

2)Also, only children may take some of the challenges they developed growing up without siblings with them into adulthood, such as a mistaken belief that the world revolves around them.

3) Only children may also struggle more with how to live their own life. 4) As the only child, they may feel they cannot leave their parents behind, or their parents may put this guilt on to them.

5)  An only child may also struggle with being a perfectionist, as a key trait of only children is striving to do everything perfectly.

6)It may also help to recognize that having a sibling is not a guarantee of love and support, as siblings do not always get along as well as two friends might.

Self esteem builders:

Experts offer these tips on how to build self-esteem in only children:

Let them fail. Too many parents do too much for their children.

Give your child time. Instead of giving your child a coloring book, give her a piece of paper. Then see what comes to her mind.

Be consistent. Don’t walk out of day care fighting with the director because your kid had a bad lunch, then stop for fast food on the way home.

Get your child to explore his own world. Be an explorer with him

Answer 2

there is no such thing -it is a media buzzword.  get some counseling or start looking at your life in more positive terms.

Answer 3

I think that only child syndrome can be perceived differently by everyone. Most of the time when someone says "oh they have only child syndrome" its in a negative connotation. That they don't know how to share, need lots of attention, can't interact well socially.. etc

I'm an only child and feel like all of that just depends on how you were raised and exposed to as a child.  

Answer 4

It may be easier to understand if you use it's pre-political correct name - spoiled.

I am 1 of 6 siblings I had to compromise and form alliances as a kid. Some of that produced negative results in my life, like privacy issues I must have complete privacy I get very uncomfortable when people (kids and wife) invade my space. I can't use a public restroom (although I can go on the side of the road, or i used to before they made that a s*x offender registry offense) i have difficulty with verbal aggression I use too much force and turn people off -all that is unintentional and I don't realize I do it. That turned me into a loner. So large families are not always rose gardens.

Answer 5

Well they characterize people with it by saying they, have trouble sharing, need attention, expect to get everything they want, and think they are gods gift to the world.  You may be sort of like this, but since you want to fix it, you aren't a problem, but a good way to get over it is to volunteer helping others makes you selfless, while only children tend to be selfish.  Get it?