As soon as Aaron heard the car pull up in the garage outside, he knew they were in for a rough night. His father turned off the car, got out, slammed the door and started shouting at the top of his lungs. This was ‘normal’ behaviour for his father. For Aaron, his sisters and mother they were living through a difficult experience. They were extremely afraid of him. Aaron could vividly remember his father being kind, loving, always playing and laughing with him when he was a young child but now he was just so different. The man who stood before him paled in comparison to the sharp dressing, mannerly, hardworking and ambitious man his father once was. Aaron longed for that man to return, the father he once loved. As the key turned in the door, everyone in the house ran to take cover. Tonight’s torment would last for hours. The screaming, the shouting, crying would be heard all through the night. Not only was Aaron’s father tough to get along with but his words were what hurt the most. As the only male among the rest of the family, Aaron tried to be brave. He felt this was his only way to help his mother and sisters as he found it difficult to stand up to his father. To him, he was not his father’s favourite and it showed. At home, Aaron dare not speak out of turn or disobey his father. At school, it was a different story. Aaron was known as a bully. He was a challenging student for his teachers to deal with. Everyone feared him, even those whom he called his ‘friends’. They only kept close to him so they wouldn’t feel his wrath. He had a bad temper. Aaron was at school only because it was a place to get away from what was waiting for him at home. He was rude to his teachers and even threatened them whenever he wanted. He would pick on the younger students, steal their money, bags whatever he could get his hands on. If he saw something he wanted, he believed it was his for the taking and he knew no one could stop him. He did not care about anyone or anything. At school, he was the ‘boss’ and he made sure everyone knew it.
Using psychological literature and information in the case study, respond to the following questions. Your responses to each question should be between 500-800 words.
Also remember to include in-text citations. For each question ensure you refer to theories discussed in the course:
Case Study Questions Question 1 With reference to concepts from three different theories discussed in the course, explain three (3) possible reasons for Aaron’s behaviour. (12 marks)
Question 2 Discuss three ways Aaron’s behaviour could negatively impact the other students. (10 marks)
Question 3 Suggest three (3) ways in which Aaron can be helped to improve his behaviour. (12 marks