Discussion: I Don’t Need Nobody but Me

Assessment of Paul’s Condition 

Paul’s refusal to accept his sister’s gender shift indicates an underlying emotional attachment (with her sister-turned brother) problem. Paul is insecurely attached, most likely depicting an ‘anxious preoccupied’ style. Wheeler et al. (2019) observe that such attachments drive emotional conflicts between the individual and the outside world. The result is the individual expressing concerns like “I want to be completely emotionally intimate with others, but I often find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like,” and “I am uncomfortable being without close relationships, but I sometimes worry that others don’t value me as much as I value them.” This observation is true with Paul, especially with the awkward romantic encounter with Angela, with whom she gets into an altercation for ‘misreading’ her intent to have ‘ecstasy’ together. 

Paul’s denial of his sister’s gender switch could also be driven by a subconscious fear of her being disrespected, bullied, or disowned in her social circles. As a confidante, Paul’s response is most likely an expression of the unwillingness to accept the twist of events, which could mean losing the dear bond between them. Besides, Hutchinson (2019) observes that teens expressing substance experimentation, bullying, and indications of dating violence in response to a gender identification incidence are often struggling for social identity. Therefore, it would be right to claim that Paul’s anxiety stems from an internal identity conflict, a typical phenomenon when transitioning from teenage to young adulthood. The stage is defined by rapidly changing hormonal levels, priming his often ‘low and sad’ moments and ‘up and lit’ moments, like when he hangs out with buddies. 

In a typical perspective from Erickson theory of self and identity, Paul’s experimentation with alcohol and substance abuse is the expression of ‘identity vs. role diffusion,’ by which the teenager struggles with self-certainty vs. apathy, experimentation vs. negative identity, and anticipation vs. work paralysis (Hutchinson, 2019; 419). Such identity diffusion and moratorium define his verdict “I don’t need nobody but me” because he feels isolated and indifferent to the world he is trying to identify with. These include Andy and Angela, who Paul finds difficult to understand and places them on an opposing pedestal, no wonder he says, “they know how to make me mad.” This is consistent with Jean Piaget’s last stage before adulthood, where the teen is troubled with the question “who am I?” 

Intervention 

If I were the social worker tasked with helping Paul, I would suggest a plan to support his Self-Validity. This follows the observation that what troubles Paul the most is the transition teenage-to-early adulthood transition, primarily the ‘intimacy vs. isolation’ complex. Thus, my intervention will be entirely based on talk therapy, seeking to work down the negative self-perceptions. I observed that Paul’s inclination to violence is motivated by an erratic self-judgment against peers, such as when he believes his friends are mere clowns seeking to underestimate his confidence and ambitions. Notably, flaws in cognition drive Paul’s misjudgment of Angela, especially in thinking she is in denial of romance with him. 

I would recommend frequent dialogues with the client – possibly once or twice a week – to support his self-actualization and lessen stereotypes that might be driving his agitation against peers. I would first avoid recommending any clinical therapy procedures for alcohol and substance abuse because I believe he is still in his first stages and can manage without unnecessary rehabilitation. I also find it necessary to separately engage Paul’s sister to evaluate any possible areas of misunderstanding in her gender transition that might impact Paul. In the interest of the client’s ease and confidentiality with me, I would not engage their parents until later when I am sure he has attained adequate self-validity. 

References 

Hutchison, E. D. (2019). Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course (6th ed.). Sage Publications. ISBN 978154433934. 

Wheeler, N. L., Langton, T., Lidster, E., & Dallos, R. (2019). Understanding More About How Young People Make Sense of Their Siblings Changing Gender Identity: How This Might Affect Their Relationships with Their Gender-Diverse Siblings and Their Experiences. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24(2), 258-276.