"Selfish, Lazy, Lonely, and Spoiled:" An Exploration of Stereotypes and the Experiences of the Only Child
Journal Title
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Issue Date
2015-04-10
Authors
Emsley, Diandra Vivian
Publisher
Keywords
Only Children , Negative Stereotypes , Onlies , Only , Only Child Stereotypes , Persist , Perpetuate
Abstract
Households where just one child is present have been on the rise in America, due to factors such as the Great Recession, couples marrying at a later age, and the skyrocketing divorce rate. Though only children are a common occurrence in society, there are many negative stereotypes that are attached to this population. Surveys and in-depth interviews are employed to assess the following: (1) Why do negative stereotypes about only children persist? (2) What is the lived experience of only children? Findings indicate that negative stereotypes prevail because of a lack of societal consciousness about the lives and uniqueness of only children. Additionally, though only children internalized the negative stereotypes about them, they generally lead stable, healthy lives.