Symptoms of Adult Children of Alcoholics/Addiction (ACOA) are reexamined using the interbehavioral systems approach. Behavioral patterns produced by parental punishment and deprivation that cause severe avoidance and escape responses are shown to convert into rules or rule-governed behavior. Considered, first, are different behavioral outcomes of aversive conditioning, focusing primarily on the ontology of avoidance responses. Second, theories of rule and meta-rule development account for retention of dysfunctional behaviors once they are learned. Conclusions provide a scientific direction for clinical practice and future research on ACOAs.