Caleb's parents are in the process of divorce. Every so often he gets into arguments with his mom in which he responds more harshly than he normally would because of the added stress. As an individual in middle childhood, Caleb does not understand what his mother is going through but responds with greater resistance and more defiant behaviors. Caleb's and his mother's battle continues to escalate. Which of the following best describes the scenario

coercive cycle

Explanation:

The coercive cycle process takes place when a parent tries to discipline a child but then quits because of the child's response in the form of misbehaviour therefore encouraging and negatively reinforcing that kind of behaviour such as we see in the example above. Caleb's mom argues with him and tries to discipline him but gets a harsh response that his mom doesn't punish, as a result Caleb continues his misbehaviour more aggressively.