Representação de amizade e irmandade para filhos únicos: estudo exploratório utilizando o método clínico piagetiano

The reduction in the number of members in one family is altering not only the profile of soci ety, but is altering the way that parents and children think and fell about brotherhood. Friendship with equals, in itself, seems to be important so that only children experience situations in which they are deprived of having brothers. This study investigates the representation that only children have as to the concepts of friendship and brotherhood. Six only children between 9 and 10 years of age participated in the research. The instrument used was an interview with 14 questions about the conception of friendship and brotherhood, and the possible relations between friendship and brotherhood. The results seem to indicate that the participants would like to have both siblings and friends, assigning distinct functions for both, without, however, clearly understand the characteristics and features of