In preparation for role-play during a RIPP class, 6th grade students
consider the following conflict situation: Sharon and Josie, who are
good friends, tryout for the basketball team. Josie makes the team, but
Sharon does not. The week after tryouts, Sharon tries to pick a fight
with Josie, calling her a "cheater" and "some- one the coach felt sorry
for. " Josie is in a bind; she wants to remain friends with Sharon, but
she is really angry with Sharon for treating her so badly. What can
Josie do in this situation? What type of self-talk will help her work
out this prob- lem with Sharon and keep the friendship? During the
role-play, Sharon calls Josie a cheater. Then, before Josie re- sponds,
two students representing her positive and negative sides take turns
whis- pering into her ear. Negative self-talk: "Boy, is she a loser!
What if everyone believes her and thinks that I cheated to get on the
team?!" Positive self-talk: "I know I worked hard to get on the team!
Sharon must really be hurt that she didn't make it. I can talk to her
later when she's cooled down, and maybe we can do something together
after practice. " Josie listens to the two voices, and decides that the
best approach is to ignore Sharon's comments for now and to call her
later that day to see if they can do something together. This
description of students dealing with everyday conflicts is quite real.