"There but not there": Imagined bonds with siblings never known

Continuing a bond after a loved one's death is considered typical and healthy. However, such a bond can continue symbolically only if it existed in the first place. What of indirect grievers, those who never knew the decedent? The authors describe bonds between individuals who did not have a living relationship to begin with, a concept referred to as imagined bonds. Forty-nine adults, who had a sibling die that they never knew, were interviewed. This article describes the bonds constructed between participants and the sibling they never knew. The authors compare and contrast the concepts of continuing bonds versus imagined bonds.