IDENTIDAD, RESPONSABILIDAD Y AFECTO: UNA LECTURA FILOSÓFICA DE LA EXPERIENCIA FRATERNA EN FAMILIAS CON TEA

Abstract

This literature review analyzes the experiences of siblings of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on a review of fifty-four studies, integrating perspectives from developmental psychology with philosophical frameworks focused on otherness, identity, and the ethics of sibling bonds. The study explores how the presence of a sibling with ASD influences socio-emotional development, identity, and the configuration of the sibling bond, understood as relational processes deeply marked by otherness. Following a structured narrative review methodology, the articles were analyzed according to key categories such as socio-emotional characteristics, the quality of the sibling relationship, the construction of the self in relation to the other, roles and responsibilities assumed, parental perceptions, and coping strategies. Based on philosophical frameworks such as phenomenology and the ethics of care, the tensions between responsibility, autonomy, and reciprocity that emerge in these relationships that are examined. Results highlight the presence of complex socio-emotional development in siblings, marked by a combination of vulnerability and resilience. Similarly, they play roles that range from support, care, and mediation, building their identity in constant dialogue with their sibling, who acts as a significant figure in their self-understanding. Likewise, challenges emerge from perceived responsibility, relational asymmetry, and the search for recognition within the family system. The discussion emphasizes that siblinghood in the context of ASD constitutes an ethical-existential space in which categories such as care, reciprocity, responsibility, and self-construction are redefined. The need for future research that delves into the philosophical dimension of the sibling relationship and how it shapes the understanding of the other and of oneself in situations of neurodiversity is highlighted.