Only Child - Stereotypes

Stereotypes

Only children are often subject to a stereotype that equates them with spoiled brats in Western countries. G. Stanley Hall was one of the first experts to give only children a bad reputation when he referred to their situation as "a disease in itself." Even today, only children are commonly stereotyped as "spoiled, selfish, and bratty." While only children receive unlimited time for development and resources, there's no confirmation they are overindulged or considerably differ from children with siblings. Susan Newman, a social psychologist at Rutgers University and the author of Parenting an Only Child, says that this is a myth. "People articulate that only children are spoiled, they're aggressive, they're bossy, they're lonely, they're maladjusted," she said. "There have been hundreds and hundreds of research studies that show that only children are no different from their peers." Similarly, a popular belief is held that only children have aversive social skills, and therefore a harder time making friends. Based on a 2004 study of American middle and high school students, such beliefs were confirmed false.

In China, perceived behavioral problems in single children has been called Little Emperor Syndrome and the lack of siblings has been blamed for a number of social ills such as materialism and crime. However, recent studies do not support these claims, and show no significant differences in personality between singletons and children in larger families. The one child policy has also been speculated to be the underlying cause of forced abortions, female infanticide, underreporting of female births, and has been suggested as a possible cause behind China's increasing number of crimes and gender imbalance. Regardless, a 2008 survey given by the Pew Research Center reports that 76% of the Chinese population supports the policy.

Popular media often posits that it is more difficult for only children to cooperate in a conventional family environment, as they have no competitors for their parents and family. It is suggested that confusion arises about the norms of ages and roles and that a similar effect exists in understanding during relationships with other peers and youth, all throughout life. Furthermore, it is suggested that many feel that their parents place extra pressure and expectations as the single child of the family. Often, only children are perfectionists. Only children are noted to have a tendency to mature faster.