ity. Perhaps he could have been an "A" student in honors classes, but because there was no one to show him right from wrong and share experiences, he began to lose himself. The adolescent got under the wrong influence of people who thought that smoking pot was just experimenting for the sake of experimenting. Improper judgment was used and the situation became out of control. The mother's parenting style was permissive because she was very lenient and had no set rules or structure in the household. If she had high maturity demands but yet a nurturing and communicative environment the adolescent would not be suffering as much. Unfortunately, the young boy had no one to turn to and so he got involved in the wrong crowd. After collecting some additional data, the school learned that the father spent whatever time he could with his son even though he traveled extensively. Hence, the young boy had some emotional ties with his father, which seemed to provide any structural aspect in his life. He helped him with his work at school and played basketball with him indicating to be a positive outlet for the young boy. Thus, when the young boy came to know of his mother's affair with another man he was devastated and lost respect for her. At this point, the young boy might have been undergoing "negative identity", an identity taken on with defiance because it is exactly the opposite of what parents expect. There may be a role reversal in that the mother may have come to realization of trying to help her son but he developed a negative identity because of linking his mother's affair to his father's death.At this point, the family seems to be a supportable family in which outside support is definitely needed to restore the structure of a healthy family. RecommendationThe primary concern of this case is for the young boy to seek help immediately via counseling and family therapy with his mother. He needs to be given time and understanding ...
