Anyone with experience in Phoenix might like to offer comments about my assessment. Therapists in other cities might like to try evaluating their home town in this fashion. Client states that parents are trying to tell him how to run his life and that he is old enough to make his own decisions. Client reports that his parents try to impose their conflicting cultural values on him and he gets confused and angry. This client expresses himself well and seems to demonstrate above average intelligence, yet is still impulsive and likely to make poor choices if pressed to make quick decisions.
Client seems to have adequate ego strength to stand up to peer pressure.
Parents agreed to marry despite their own reluctance and against the strong urgings of the extended family that was primarily European on one side and mixed Hispanic and Native American on the other side. The young parents struggled to incorporate each other's values with limited success. However, both parents remain committed to the marriage, perhaps both out of stubbornness and desire to emerge victorious, but committed nonetheless. Client has a number of younger adopted siblings, some of whom are experiencing similar problems, with this particular child being the most volatile in the family. This family is blessed with a wide variety of cultural influence and parents remain committed to preserving their values.