(from a child's perspective)
There is interaction amongst the entire family, parent-to-child, parent-to-parent, and child-to-child/sibling-to-sibling. Let's focus on the siblings perspective. I like to call it "sibling rivalry"--families deal with this often, perhaps on a regular basis or enough to find a solution for the problem.
Control vs. Influence
When people use control to get others to do something, they use threats, praise or punishment; the controller gives the other person no choice.
When people use influence to get others to do something, they share information, give advice, teach or suggest to the other person; influencers give the other person a choice to accept or reject their influencing.
Example:
Control: You lend your brother your motorbike with the understanding that he'll be back by a certain time. He brings the bike back later than he said he would. You tell him he can't borrow it again. (Brother feels resentful.)
Influence: You give your brother an I-Message about how his not bringing the bike back on time caused you to be late for soccer practice. (Brother feels bad he caused this problem.)
Ask yourself these questions about control in your life:
Who can keep you from getting something you really want?
Who can give you something you need or want very much?
Who can make life most unpleasant/pleasant for you?
And these questions about influence:
Whom do you look up to and really listen to what they have to say?
Whose advice, experience or knowledge do you ask for and often follow?
Who really influences what you think and do?
Now this about relationships in which you are either a controller or an influencer.
Be aware of the times when you behave as a controller or an influencer of someone and also of those times when you are controlled or influenced by someone else.*
*Excerpt from Dr. Thomas Gordon's Family Effectiveness Training, Young Adult Resource Book
