ABSTRACT
“Stop that fighting!” Teasing, arguing, and physical aggression are typical among most children, especially between siblings, given the amount of time they spend together. Parents must cope with an average of eight conflicts between siblings per hour (Dunn and Munn, 1986). When sibling squabbles escalate to potentially harmful, physically abusive levels, parents are faced with a dilemma: What is the best course of action? Some have suggested that parents should ignore sibling conflicts and allow children to work it out themselves (Schacter and Stone, 1987); however, research shows that untreated aggression tends to persist (Olweus, 1979; Achenbach, 1991). Nonintervention can even promote learned helplessness in a younger, smaller, or less competent child (Bennett, 1990). On the other hand, harsh punishment (e.g., spanking) or inconsistent punishment result in increased rates of aggression (Patterson, 1977). The strongest evidence suggests that parents should intervene to promote replacement of aggression with prosocial coping skills. An effective program will include the combination of a consistent, mild discipline component (e.g., time out) with reinforcement of appropriate coping behaviors (Olson and Roberts, 1987). The intervention presented is a group contingency in which siblings participate individually and as a team to earn chosen rein-forcers for their use of anger management skills to replace physical aggression in sibling conflicts.
