Conversation Starters

Case Presentation The subject of this discussion is Matt, a thirty-nine-year-old white male who lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.  He is an individual the author had an involved social relationship with from 2005-2014 at which time she ceased communications with him as a result of his emotionally abusive behaviors.  The facts of the case, therefore, are pertinent to the era -- both before and during -- the time in which the author knew Matt intimately and, while the author may speculate as to his current stage of development, she does not have direct experience with him after the end of 2014. Matt was born on January 29, 1981 in Toledo, Ohio where he grew up with his parents Joy and Russ and his two younger brothers, Jason and Greg.  He rarely talked about his childhood, but the impression was always that it was stable and without major incident.  In 1997 at the age of sixteen, Matt was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massa...

Case Presentation Ruth Denison is a sixty-nine-year-old female who currently lives in East Orleans, Massachusetts with Sam, her husband of forty years. The couple has two adult daughters, Molly, age 39, who lives nearby and Rachel, age 37, who recently moved to Joshua Tree, California.  Both Molly and Rachel are married, though neither have children of their own.  The family unit, as a whole, is very close. Ruth considers herself the “anchor” of the family.  “I believe my family members view me as smart, loving -- but firm --  reliable, and a great problem solver, along with my husband.  They have come to realize that there isn’t anything we can’t work through,” she said.  Ruth has a small core group of friends, with whom she is quite close.  She and Sam are avid New England sports fans and regularly attend Patriots football games and Red Sox baseball games with their friends and family.  “I like to have fun,” Ruth said, adding, “One friend’s fami...