Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69673 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-15
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .65" h x 5.60" w x 8.24" l, .51 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Amazon.com
Yes, your children can have better relationships than you and your siblings did, says author Peter Goldenthal. In Beyond Sibling Rivalry, Goldenthal, a practicing psychologist specializing in sibling and family relationships, provides thoughtful and informative theory and practice for easing this challenging element of family life. In many ways, Beyond Sibling Rivalry is a general positive-parenting text that teaches parents to learn their child's needs by paying attention to the child. Yet, for specific examples and issues, Goldenthal focuses on sibling relationships. In 12 chapters, the book moves from predictable and preventable conflicts (preparing a child for a sibling's arrival, conflicts about sharing, and knowing when to intervene) to rivalry's more challenging issues (such as recognizing it in all its forms and compensating for the challenges that ADHD brings into the home).

Goldenthal bases his approach largely on famed psychiatrist Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy's contextual theory--an approach that considers the entire family as the context for the sibling relationship and focuses on issues of fairness and justice to help resolve them. Goldenthal stresses the parental role in creating and encouraging sibling rivalry, encourages readers to examine their own sibling relationships, and teaches them how to stop encouraging competition between children by acknowledging individual talents and skills without comparison. Beyond Sibling Rivalry is a hopeful and proactive book. Goldenthal believes the ultimate cure for sibling rivalry is self-esteem and generosity, and the final chapters focus on facilitating empathy and altruism in your kids. --Ericka Lutz

From Publishers Weekly
Rather than focusing only on how to handle specific bouts between siblings, Goldenthal, a Philadelphia-area family psychologist, covers a wider scope, exploring how sibling conflict can be diminished or avoided altogether. Goldenthal explains how sibling rivalry can be exacerbated by many aspects of a child's life?problems at school, poor self-esteem, difficulties with friends, parents who compare siblings or criticize and the stress of trying to measure up to parents' expectations held over from their own childhood, to name just a few. Parents will be reassured to learn that their children can be encouraged to be empathetic toward one another and that simple tactics, such as the use of verbal praise or small rewards to reinforce positive behavior, can help waylay aggressive behavior among sibs. Goldenthal explains how and when to appropriately use rewards; without placing blame, he also reveals how parental behavior can unwittingly contribute to sibling conflict. The author looks beyond immediate who-did-what explanations to deeper connections and causes within the family. Goldenthal's suggestions on how to build healthy family relationships will be useful to parents who feel they are now at the mercy of their children's squabbles. While the writing is sometimes awkward and the text is overloaded with wordy case studies, Goldenthal's work gives clear-cut guidance for parents struggling to facilitate harmony among their children.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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