Trials and Tribulations - raising a busy boy

Home has been getting progressively more stressful.  Our son, now four years old, has been very defiant.  He yells, "NEVER!" when we tell him to do something.  He throws things across the room in anger and screams in an ear splitting way when things aren't going the way he wants.  He slams doors, refuses to nap, and bedtime is a nightmare.  We don't go off often as a family anymore because his behavior is embarrassing. 

I have spoken to his doctor and he encouraged us to try positive reinforcement such as stickers.  They worked for a day at most.  After that he tried to control the whole sticker situation telling us he required a sticker to come sit at the dinner table.  He then found them during the night while we were sleeping and stuck them all over the house.  I am still scraping them off the floor weeks later! We are back to square one.  The situation doesn't seem to be improving, so I decided to do what I always do when I need help - READ.

My husband and I are now reading, How to Raise the Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.  We are on Chapter 1.  Hopefully we will find some useful strategies that will help us to be a happier and calmer family.