Causes of Behavior: A Case Study

Billy was the third child of loving but busy parents. When he was growing up, he thought that his parents favored his older siblings. When Billy was four, his parents divorced, and he remained with his father. His brother and sister moved with his mother to a distant city. Billy rarely saw them. Feeling inadequate in raising his son alone, Billys father responded by providing the child with costly toys and frequent trips to amusement parks. As Billy grew older and attended school, he had trouble focusing and was taken to a doctor for an appraisal of his abilities and disabilities. Billys medical evaluation showed symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but Billys father dismissed the diagnosis. Because of these difficulties in school, Billy had trouble making friends and was ridiculed by his classmates. This diminished his self-confidence. By the time Billy was an adolescent, he had difficulty forming lasting relationships despite his expertise in athletics. He was capable of high academic achievement, but his grades were below average. Teacher reports frequently cited his excessive need for attention. Personally, he felt lost and doomed to failure.

Psychoanalytic Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

Medication

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

The basic cause of Billys problems is dealing with the separation of his parents.

Behaviorist Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

Therapist

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

Less attention towards him as compare to his older siblings.

Humanist Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

Parents

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

Less attention of his parents though he is emotionally damaged

Cognitive Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

ADHD medication

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

The basic cause is low self esteem and the way he believes people think about him in school.

Biological Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

Parents

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

The basic cause of Billy's problem is the environment he grew up in and learned from. Since he grew up in an unstable environment, he is now unstable as well.

Evolutionary Approach

Name of person/people who would be analyzing Billy from this approach:

Father

What is the basic cause of Billys problems?

Come from divorced parents, living alone with father

Taking into account all of these approaches/perspectives, which do you think gives us the best explanation of Billys behavior? Why?