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Running Head: CASE STUDY 2 1
Case Study 2: Tommy
Faith A. Sola
Liberty University
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Question #1
There is no question that peer and family linkages are amongst the most critical and
foundational relationships occurring in adolescent life. So much so that the manner the
relationship flourishes can impact the teenager for the rest of their life. Brown and Larson
(2009) concluded that peer relationships have become more salient, complex, and derived from
characterized similarities through a process known as selection and socialization. Peers select
their companions based on perceived similarities between them. On the other hand, as peers
continue to hang out with said friends, socialization patterns (i.e., becoming more similar to
friends; social adjustment) occurs. In the case, Tommy incipiently socialized with his four main
friends because they lived in the same neighborhood (selection effects) for many years.
Similarly, the group of friends enjoys similar interests like playing violent video games,
drinking/smoking, skipping school, and vandalism, although Tommy states only firstly agreeing
to the activities because it was typical for his friends (socialization effects). In turn, Tommy's
peers praised him when he participated in those activities. These actions and reactions satisfy
Brechwald and Prinstein's (2011) mechanisms of peer influence: adolescents engage in behaviors
that match the social norms of the desired group (Tommy's neighborhood friends), are reinforced
by peers (Tommy's praised by friends), and contribute to a favorable identity (Tommy's status as
a bully).
While peer dyads provide a social context for a teenager's behaviors, familial
relationships, especially parental, dictate the underlying biological and primitive social agents
that influence future social connections. There are four main parenting styles according to
Laursen and Collins (2009): authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. Varying in
positive interactions, closeness, and warmth, Tommy's mother undoubtedly belongs in the
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uninvolved category of parenting styles- known for inattentiveness and neglect. The case study
exemplifies Tommy's relationship with his mother; one filled with heated arguments, disinterest,
and blaming. Working two jobs, rarely home for her son, Tommy's mother neglects her time with
her son and often states that he is the cause of her struggles. Soon backfiring since poor parenting
leads to higher aggression (Larson & Brown, 2009).
Question #2
According to Connolly and McIsaac (2009), romantic attachment theory, derived from
attachment theory from Bowlby and Ainsworth (1992), compares the attachment transition of
children from infancy and childhood-attachment to sole providers (parents/guardians)- to
romantic partners in adolescence. This theory states that a secure attachment with parents during
childhood leads to comfort, trust, and support in youth relationships. On the other hand, an
insecure attachment with parents during childhood can lead to future avoidance/withdrawal and
disinterest in emotions or preoccupation with partner availability and anxious overinvestment in
relationships. Furthermore, childhood/pre-adolescent conflict patterns utilized with parents
correlate to those seen in adolescent romantic relationships (Connolly & McIsaac, 2009). Parent-
child relationships in low socioeconomic status families can lead to indirect effects such as
academic problems, behavior problems, and subsequent parent-child conflict (Laursen & Collins,
2009). Similarly, parent conflict/divorce (in Tommy's case, his father's disappearance), leads to
behavior problems, depressive symptoms, parent-child conflict, and academic problems.
Moreover, in the case study, Tommy reports dating earlier than other adolescents his age,
most likely because he wants to feel/experience the love he never received from his mother.
However, as his relationships progress, he quickly becomes suspicious that his girlfriend at the
time is tired of him or has cheated on him. The case study also states that Tommy is, "quick to
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interpret any sign of boredom or disinterest from his girlfriend as complete rejection" and doesn't
feel like he has met a girl that he can completely trust. Because of Tommy's insecure attachment
with his mother and other familial factors, it has caused him to be preoccupied with his partners
time, question their commitment to the relationship, lead to partner-partner conflict, and
behavioral problems.
Early starters in adolescent relationships commence when spending more time with
deviant youth which leads to externalizing patterns, body dissatisfaction, internalizing problems,
poor relationship quality, and higher rejection sensitivity (the anxious expectation of rejection
from a partner) (Connolly & McIsaac, 2009). Tommy's experiences are similar to the factors
explained previously, he spends ample time with deviant youth, portrays externalizing problems
(i.e., heated arguments, vandalism, smoking/drug use), internalizing problems (i.e., anger,
impulsivity, learning disabilities), poor relationship qualities with all of his girlfriends (i.e., lack
of trust, arguments), and rejection sensitivity. Due to the timing of his relationships, relationship
cognitions, and dissolutions, Tommy's romantic relationships elude to his relationship with his
mother: conflicts, negligence, mistrust, anxiety, and insecurity.
Question #3
Subsets of antisocial behavior include aggression, delinquency, and conduct. There are a
plethora of risk factors that can predispose one of the antisocial behaviors listed above in an
adolescent. In Tommy's case, low academic achievement, impulsiveness, inadequate supervision,
harsh/physical discipline, and child abuse from parents, low economic status, parent-child
conflict, and negative group influences are prominent characteristics predisposing Tommy's
antisocial behavior. Of the three subsets, conduct disorder most accurately defines his actions.
According to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (2013), to be diagnosed with conduct disorder, the
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adolescent in question has to commit at least three of the fifteen criteria across subcategories:
aggression to people/animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious
violations of rules. Tommy has committed five of the fifteen criteria: two based on his aggression
to people (bullying and initiating physical fights), two for the destruction of property with and
without fire (vandalism), and one for theft (stealing from a local store).
For Tommy's mother, early parent training is an excellent tactic to prevent adolescent
delinquency. Dictating expectations for behavior and their penalties and rewards can be a tactic
for her. Time-management courses and social groups with parents struggling in similar ways can
additionally aid Tommy's mother since she works two jobs and rarely has time for her son. For
Tommy, intervention programs such as in schools, anti-bullying, and peer programs, and skills
program for parents and children can be the most beneficial (Farrington, 2009). These programs
are aimed to modify the impulsivity of delinquents and to teach them to stop and think before
acting, to consider the potential consequences of their behavior and to conceptualize alternative
avenues for their acts. Also, these programs can target peer risk factors and promote prosocial
alternatives. For both Tommy and his mother, Functional Family Therapy and community-based
mentoring programs can be a conduit for increasing communication, trust, and warmth in parent-
child relationships (Farrington, 2009).
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References
Brechwald, W. A., & Prinstein, M. J. (2011). Beyond homophily: A decade of advances in
understanding peer influence processes. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 166–
179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00721.x
Bretherton, I. (1992). The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth,
431–471.
Connolly, J., & McIsaac, C. (2009). Romantic relationships in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L.
Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (3rd ed.).
https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470479193.adlpsy002016
Farrington, D. (2009). Conduct disorder, aggression, and delinquency. In Handbook of
adolescent psychology (pp. 683–722).
Larson, J., & Brown, B. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. Handbook of adolescent
psychology, 1, 74–103.
Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (2009). Parent-child relationships during adolescence. In
Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 1–42).
Reynolds, C., & Kamphaus, R. (2013). Conduct disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual
of mental disorders (5th ed., pp. 1–2).
