FAINGUELERNT, T.; TOSTA, R. M. Torna-se irmão: o imaginário da criança frente a gravidez materna e a chegada de um irmão [Becoming a brother: the imagination of a child facing]. Psic. Rev., São Paulo, SP, v.27, n.1, p.129-149, 2018.
Available on: doi: <10.23925/2594-3871.2018v27i1p129-149>
Fratria, despite being present in most families, is a little studied theme, especially when it comes to the relationship between siblings. Becoming a sibling” causes many changes in family relationships, even during a woman’s pregnancy, which are mainly felt by the child who will become the firstborn. This research sought to understand 1- How the first born child perceives his mother’s second pregnancy and the arrival of a brother; 2- Which are the fantasies and feelings that arise in the first born in relation to the brother that is being conceived. Having as a referential the psychoanalytic theory, and having the child as a participant, the information was collected through the application of the projective instruments “Family Drawing Test” and “Drawing-and-Story Test” in three first-born children of pregnant mothers. It was observed through the research that the birth of a sibling causes great impact in the life of the first-born, generating anxiety and conflicts of feelings in relation to his family. The contents aroused in each child from this theme are singular, but evident, so that in each child they are manifested in different ways. The results offer subsidies for parents, family members and professionals to help the child to go through this phase in an elaborate way, also benefiting those around them.