Theoretical Analysis of Character Tracy’s Behavior in the Movie “Thirteen”

Abstract

The movie, Thirteen, highlights how failure in social systems could lead to an individual developing deviant behaviors. In the movie, the Transformation of Tracy’s behavior can be explained by various theoretical approaches including family systems theory, attachment theory, social learning theory and strengths perspective. This paper makes an analysis of Tracy’s behavioral transformation using the four theories. The analysis indicates that the failure in the family system following the divorce of Tracy’s parents predispose Tracy to influence from peers. For instance, such failure prevents the formation of a strong attachment between Tracy and her mother, thus reducing the extent to which the mother can serve as a support for Tracy during stressful moments. Through reinforcement of deviant behaviors, Tracy’s behavior deteriorates over time as the movie progresses; out of failure of systems in her environment to build her capabilities to cope with stress, she results to self-cutting behavior for solace.

Keywords. Family systems, attachment theory, social learning, strengths perspective.

Humans inhabit a social environment comprised of systems that influence individual behavior and well-being. For instance, the extent of support and transactions that occur in a family environment may influence the vulnerability of members to influence from factors external to the family. Such susceptibility may vary with other factors such as biological stages of development, where, for instance, individuals in the teenage years may be more susceptible to peer influence compared to adults. In the movie Thirteen, the protagonist, Tracy, exemplifies various behavioral problems that may be explained through different social work theories. As the movie progresses, it is evident that the failures in Tracy’s family transactions, results in her clamor for a friendship with Evie, even when such friendship means her engaging in drug abuse and sexual risk behavior. Such behavioral change can be explained and managed through various theories including family systems theory, attachment theory, cognitive (social learning theory), and strengths perspective.

The family systems theory provides insight into Tracy’s change from a responsible teenager to a careless teenager who has little regard for her studies, old friends and family. The choice of family systems theory to critique Tracy’s behavior arises from the system’s conceptualization of the family “as an organized whole in which all the elements (i.e., members) are interdependent” (Hughes & Gullone, 2008, p. 94). As argued by Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop and Epstein (2000), since the family functions as a whole unit rather than individual parts, the family’s structure and transactional patterns and quality of the transactions influence the behavior of individual members. When the quality of the transactions in a family is low, as Wener and Silbereisen (2003) found out, contact with deviant peers increases the likelihood of adolescent members developing problem behaviors. Such a scenario is witnessed in the movie with Tracy’s development of problem behaviors after interacting with Evie.

The failure of Tracy’s family to function effectively as a whole presents an enabling environment for external factors to have a great influence on her behavior. Tracy’s parents are divorced and she lives with her mother, Melanie, and brother, Mason. Her mother’s boyfriend, Brady, frequently visits the family but Tracy despises him perceiving him to be the threat to her mother getting back together with her father. Such indicates that Tracy has not undergone through the process of accepting that her parents’ divorce is permanent, which, as noted by Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2012, p. 547) is necessary for her to realize that the divorce does not mean her relationship with the father has failed. However, Tracy’s case is worsened by the fact that her father is always absent, concentrating on his job and is not available to talk to Tracy even when informed of Tracy’s troubling behavior by Tracy’s mother and brother. Due to the pressures of her work, for instance serving clients at her home, Melanie has little time for Tracy. Such unavailability creates a distance between the mother and the daughter, which leads to a communication breakdown. As such, even when Tracy wants to share with her mother a poem she has written, Melanie does not pay much attention to it at first, especially when her friend Kayla arrives and informs her of a meeting they were to attend. Even though she eventually listens to the poem, she does not have the time to discuss it with Tracy. Instead, she leaves with Kayla leaving Tracy to babysit Kayla’s daughter.

The absence of a family system that offers Tracy a loving and caring environment predisposes her to seek such an environment at school. Although she has friends with whom they study, their group does not seem to attract the attention that Tracy so much desires. Instead, the boys in her school, including her brother, seem attracted to Evie and her group who live a carefree life. Due to the attention that Evie’s group gets, Tracy develops a desire to become Evie’s friend, but various aspects such as her wearing clothes considered unfashionable makes such a feat impossible at first. Eventually, out of the overwhelming desire to demonstrate that she can fit into Evie’s group, Tracy steals a purse from a woman and uses the money from the purse to shop for clothes that would lead to her acceptance into Evie’s group. The friendship between Evie and Tracy that results from this event forms the basis upon which Tracy is introduced to drug abuse, dangerous sex and petty crime.

A second theory that offers insight into Tracy’s behavior transformation in the movie is the attachment theory. The theory, as developed by Bowlby, argues that attachment is a system of behavior that children develop from their stay with principal caregivers, especially the mother, which lead them to seek proximity to such caregivers in times of distress (Ng & Smith, 2006). When such an attachment does not arise by parents failing to create a loving environment, a solid foundation for the child to engage in meaningful interactions with the external systems is not founded (Ng & Smith, 2006; Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2012, p. 137). In the movie, for instance, Tracy does not develop a close relationship with the mother who would serve as a source of support in times of distress. Such lack of close relationship for instance makes Tracy lose her sense of self-worth, which is for instance demonstrated when she is led to believe that the clothes she has been wearing are outdated. On the contrary, her best friend from across the street enjoys a loving environment which enables her to resist the temptations of the peer pressure at school. Tracy’s failure to develop meaningful attachment with her mother is also noted in the fact that she does not confide in her even when she faces various challenges. On the contrary, she results to self-cutting behavior to relieve her stress, especially when she faces various conflicts. Due to her mother’s emotional detachment, as evident when Tracy tries to relate to her the poem and in other scenes when the mother is serving clients, a trusting relationship does not develop between the mother and daughter thus leaving the daughter to seek other people who may provide such attachment. Only at the end of the film, when Tracy’s deterioration is evident, does the mother reinforce her love for Tracy and her brother.

The social cognitive (social learning) theory can also explain the development of problematic behaviors in Tracy’s case. Social Learning theory, as advanced by proponents such as Bandura, perceive learning to occur in a social arena characterized by interactions between the individual, environment and behavior in a dynamic and reciprocal manner (Grusec, 1992). According to Bandura (2001), a social learning perspective envisages a scenario where “people are producers as well as products of social systems” (p. 1). As noted by Akers, Krohn, Lanza-Kaduce and Radosevich (1979), social learning theory can explain development and maintenance of deviant behavior, the core explanation being in differential associations. Differential associations refer to the net effect between rewards and punishments of a specific behavior when evaluated against the rewards and punishment for an alternative behavior (Akers et al., 1979). The development and maintenance of a deviant behavior is perceived to arise where net of rewards and punishment of that behavior is positive (i.e. rewards outweigh punishment) and outweighs that of the alternative behavior. According to the theory, acquisition and maintenance of a behavior thus follows an operant-conditioning hypothesis where various stimuli, following performance of a certain behavior, serve to reinforce or discourage the behavior.

In the movie, Tracy’s acquisition of deviant behaviors such as drug abuse and petty crime results from reinforcement of such behavior. For instance, the pursuit of indecent dressing is reinforced by the attention that the girls receive from peers. For instance, at the start of the movie, when Tracy and her friend arrive at school, they hold the attention of their male colleagues only until Evie and her group of friends arrive and distract such attention with their revealing dressing. Similarly, when Tracy joins Evie’s group, her dressing to conform to such group’s norms earns her admirers from a group of boys who never used to show such attention before. Such positive reinforcement serves to encourage Tracy to engage more into deviant behavior, which deteriorates into incessant drug abuse and engaging in sexual risk behaviors.

The maintenance of the deviant behavior is also enabled by the absence of positive rewards for the alternative behavior and absence of punishment for the deviant behavior. For instance, right from the start of the movie, the environment in which Tracy grows up in does not lay emphasis on positive responsible behavior. For instance, Tracy’s father does not seem to care much about her daughter’s engagement in problem behavior even when such are brought into his attention. Similarly, Tracy’s negative behavior such as stealing the purse and engaging in drug abuse are not punished since the mother is too lenient with her. In fact, her initial responsible behavior seems to earn her negative outcomes, for instance being relegated into a baby sitter whenever her mother goes to the meetings and for outings with her friends. Even when she arrives for class late, and fails to meet the deadline for submitting her work, the repercussions are blunt; only receives a verbal reprimand from the teacher. On the other hand, the deviant behaviors are reinforced by aspects such as getting attention from her male peers and getting to go out with such peers, which are critical desires for individuals in her age, especially with the lack of such attention at home.

The strengths perspective can also explain the behavioral transformation that Tracy undergoes, and offer insight into effective approaches to alleviate the deviant behaviors. The strengths perspective recognizes human beings’ innate capabilities to achieve success, arguing for the need to provide an environment where individuals realize the potential to achieve self-actualization (Gray, 2011). The strengths perspective advances the need to understand the bases of various deviant behaviors individuals exhibit, to build a better social environment that can help them use their strengths to overcome such behaviors. Yip (2006) for instance argues that a strengths perspective can help in identifying the needs of an adolescent with self-cutting behaviors and help to develop their abilities to express their distress via an alternative method.

In the movie, the lack of environment that builds Tracy’s stress coping mechanisms leads to her adopting self-cutting behaviors to relieve stress whenever she faces a conflict. For instance, the failure in interpersonal communication between her family and her deprives her of the avenue to express her fears and desire for her fathers’ love to a confidant. Failure to build such interpersonal communication abilities also lead to Tracy seeking alternative ways through which she can attract the attention of her male peers. Such clamor results into her engaging in various irresponsible behaviors such as theft, drug abuse and sexual risk behavior. Even when opportunities to develop such strengths arise, such as when the family meets over meals, the presence of Melanie’s boyfriend who Tracy considers a reason for her father’s absence prohibits effective family bonding.

As highlighted in the analysis, the Movie, Thirteen, highlights various theoretical underpinnings of social work including family systems theory, attachment theory, social learning theory and strengths perspective. For instance, the failure of Tracy’s family to function effectively makes her susceptible to peer influence, which results into her developing deviant behavior. Similarly, the absence of a loving family environment averts the formation of attachment between Tracy and her mother thus depriving her of a resource she can turn to when in distress. Lacking such a resource, Tracy turns into the social environment provided by her peers for attention, whereby the reinforcement provided for deviant behaviors in that environment serve to encourage her irresponsible behavior. Moreover, the lack of a family setting that would help Tracy to develop strengths to cope with stress leads to her turning into self-cutting behavior whenever a conflict arises.

References

Akers, R. L., Krohn, M. D., Lanza-Kaduce, L., & Radosevich, M. (1979). Social learning and deviant behavior: A specific test of a general theory. American Sociological Review, 44(4), 636-655.

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1-26.

Gray, M. (2011). Back to basics: A critique of the strengths perspective in social work. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 92(1), 5-11, doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.4054

Grusec, J. E. (1992). Social learning theory and developmental psychology: The legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 776-786.

Hughes, E. K., & Gullone, E. (2008). Internalizing symptoms and disorders in families of adolescents: A review of family systems literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(), 92-117, doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.04.002

Levy-Hinte, J., London, M. (Producers) &Harwicke, D. (Director). (2003). Thirteen [Motion picture]. United States: Working Title Films.

Miller, I. W., Ryan, C. E., Keitner, G. I., Bishop, D. S., & Epstein, N. B. (2000). The McMaster approach to families: theory, assessment, treatment and research. Journal of Family Therapy, 22(2), 168-189, doi: 10.1111/1467-6427.00145.

Ng, K. M., & Smith, S. D. (2006). The relationships between attachment theory and intergenerational family systems theory. The Family Journal, 14(4), 430-440, doi:10.1177/1066480706290976.

Yip, K. S. (2006). A strengths perspective in working with an adolescent with self-cutting behaviors. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 23(2), 134-146, doi:10.1007/s10560-005-0043-4

Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (2011). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (3rd ed.). Boston, CA: Allyn & Bacon

Werner, N. E., & Silbereisen, R. K. (2003). Family relationship quality and contact with deviant peers as predictors of adolescent problem behaviors: The moderating role of gender. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(5), 454-480, doi:10.1177/0743558403255063

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2012). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Learning

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