Case Studies
Scenario
On a Friday night in Riverbend City, three adolescents end up in a fight. Luis’ roommate had invited his cousin (Kevin) and girlfriend (Paula) over but then he took off, leaving Luis alone with them. Paula wants Luis to find some vodka for them to drink and starts calling him a coward when he refuses. Kevin asks to try out Paula’s eyeshadow, and Luis insults his masculinity. Luis starts to flirt with Paula, but she slaps him.
Kevin (14 years old)
Kevin is a second generation Nigerian American. He’s torn between pride in his parents for the hard life they’ve had and resentment at their attempts to get him to follow Nigerian cultural norms.
His voice has started to crack and change. It happens often and he dreads the speech he needs to give in his public speaking class this week. He’s sure everyone is laughing at him for his voice and has more or less stopped talking around others.
Kevin spends extra time in the school gym, hoping to develop the type of arm and chest muscles he sees in his favorite superhero movies. He consistently worries that he’s not good enough.
Kevin spends most of his time at home playing multiple role-playing games on his computer. He and his friends have a fairly successful team and he enjoys the time together. Yet, he rarely meets with them in person outside of school.
Kevin knows he’s more sexually attracted to men than to women. He hasn’t said anything to anyone about his feelings. He thinks his parents would be fine with it. But, he’s not sure how to bring it up. He’s not even sure if he’s gay or not.
Paula (16 years old)
Paula is a third generation Lithuanian American. Her grandparents have shared stories of Lithuania and life under the Soviet Union for as long as she can remember. Paula finds their old stories annoying and rarely introduces her friends to her grandparents.
She’s reached 5’3” and is hoping for another inch or two—though her mom keeps telling her she’s as tall as she’s going to get. She worries that something is wrong. Not only is she short but she hasn’t had her first period yet. She’s sure that everyone knows and thinks she’s just a child.
Paula’s been dieting since she was 14, worried that she’ll start to weigh over 100 pounds. She wants to be an actress and compares herself to the women she sees in the movies. She tries out for every high school play and has won every leading role. She knows she is good.
Paula has many girls she calls friends but there’s one, Lori, who is her best friend. They talk for hours a day about everything. When they aren’t talking, they text each other. She can’t imagine not having Lori to lean on. With her circle of friends, it’s not unusual for her to party on weekends and she often gets drunk. She draws the line at drinking and driving—always catching a ride to and from the parties.
Paula’s been dating the same young man since the beginning of the term. He wants to have sex but has respected her desire to wait. Her parents dislike him and Paula fights with her parents about it all the time. Her older brother finds it all funny and teases her about it. She feels like she fights with her family too much and has tried to stay out of the house as much as she can.
Luis (19 years old)
Luis is a first generation Cuban American. His parents immigrated to America when he was two years old. His parents speak a blend of Spanish and English at home, though neither are fully fluent in English.
At 6’1, Luis is almost a half-foot taller than either of his parents. His parents have been fighting more often. While Luis can see both their points of view, he’s glad he now shares an apartment with his best friend. He knows that there are many factors that might shape what happens next with his parents, but it’s best for him to stay out of it.
Luis started college last year and still feels out of place. His parents have always told him how smart and capable he is, but college seems like a foreign country. No one in his family has tried college so his family doesn’t understand.
Luis’ two roommates are also his closest friends. They roam campus together, trying to catch the attention of women. One of his roommates, Steve, has started smoking marijuana and Luis has tried it a few times.
Luis wants to find a woman he can really love, but he’s not having any luck. His last romance lasted six months and ended when she found someone she liked better. He’s been avoiding his parents but has been spending more time with his younger brother. At 17 years old, his brother has started to be more of a friend than an annoyance.