Brothers: From Enemies to Friends
In the article, a mom describes her experience during a 2-to-3 child transition. Before baby No.3, the two brothers were each other’s worst enemies. They would constantly fight and refuse to share. However, with the introduction of a third baby brother, their previous relationship was forced to change, as they developed a strong, healthy relationship with the newborn.
According to the balance theorem, when two enemies have a strong bond in common, that creates an unbalanced network. In this case, the previous relationship between the two brothers and the newborn’s introduction created an unbalanced environment. The result would be either the two enemies became friends, or one of the brothers would turn against the newborn. The result happened as described by the theory: the two older brothers are now best friends. They enjoy playing with each other and taking care of their younger sibling.
The Balance Theorem can be used to predict the future of social relationships, even with huge networks. The theorem says: that if a complete graph is balanced, then either – all edges are positives, or the nodes can be divided into two groups who are friends within but enemies with the other group.
https://www.scarymommy.com/third-kid-transition