The favored child: A variation on the Cinderella theme in psychotherapy

The favored child in the family is frequently the object of parental adoration and sibling envy. The process of favoritism and its negative influence on character development is described in this paper. The authors have noted the forces and counterforces which prevail dynamically for these patients, whose major conflict is related to being favored above their siblings by a dominating parent. Case studies are presented to highlight the dynamics of these patients and an overview of therapeutic principles is presented.