kid's rap

Post 5: Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal conflicts have to managed very carefully as relationships can be strained. Any wrong move will only aggravate the situation and make it harder to resolve the problem.

This is a scenario about the interpersonal conflict between family members….

A and B are siblings who are in their mid-teenage years. B is the older brother and A is the sister. They are only one year apart. Thus, they are very closely bonded. Recently, A started noticing that B has been having frequent coughs and his lips seemed to be darkened. The cigar stench on his clothes further confirmed her suspicion about her brother’s smoking habit. Upon confrontation, B admitted that he has been smoking occasionally for the past few months. A asked B to quit smoking and B agreed to stop and made A promise that she will not tell their parents about him. B did not quit despite several requests from A. A is afraid that B will be addicted to smoking if he does not quit anytime soon. She wanted to inform her parents since they will be a better situation to convince him to stop smoking. However, she did not want to get her brother into trouble as she was afraid he will feel betrayed and their relationship will be strained thereafter. Eventually, she told her parents. Her parents started reprimanding B and become stricter with his behaviour. B feels betrayed and has been giving A the cold shoulder for days. If you were A, what would you do?