Character 1

Name: Jamie Mulligan

Age: 18

Place of birth: Cardiff, Wales, UK

Residence: Canton, Cardiff

Education: High school drop out, college student

Relationship status: Single

Personality: Aggressive, bitter, sarcastic

• Jamie was born in Cardiff, the son of an accountant and a nurse. At the age of 3, his mother, Susan, died in a car accident, which meant that his father, John had to adapt to life as a single father and provide for his son.
• Jamie grew up with a very formal childhood - he attended school, with particular strengths in English, creative writing, music and geography. He enjoyed exploring his father's extensive music collection at home and reading books that originally belonged to his mother, which instilled in him a passion for music and literature.
• When Jamie entered high school, his father began getting involved in finding a new partner for himself after the death of Jamie's mother. He eventually began seeing a woman who worked at the local Tesco's in secret, not wanting to tell Jamie for fear of him getting upset and protective of his mother's memory.
• As Jamie progressed through high school, he was bullied and teased for his interest in books and music rather than sport and was often labelled a "poof" by other boys. This began to sow the seeds of resentment that Jamie would carry through his teenage years towards his father. Jamie kept the fact that he was being bullied a secret, retreating into his favourite music from his dad's record collection, particularly the music of The Smiths and Morrissey. The song "What Difference Does It Make?" became a particular favourite of his, and he'd often write the lyrics in ballpoint pen on the inside covers of his school books in an attempt to challenge the strict authority he came across at school.
• When Jamie was 16, John, who had been keeping a steady, private relationship with his girlfriend, revealed his new partner to Jamie. Jealous of the affection his father showed her, Jamie immediately rejected her and became increasingly angry at his father, accusing him of betraying his mother's memory finding love so soon after her death.
• Due to the family tension, Jamie's grades began to suffer and he eventually dropped out of school in the middle of his GCSEs, much to the dismay of his father. Jamie lost all motivation and drive to receive an education, causing his father to force him to undertake a music course at a local college.
• Jamie failed multiple exams at college and nearly got expelled for getting into an argument with a pupil over The Smiths. Situations at home did not improve. Jamie would argue with his father on a daily basis, threatening to attempt suicide or harm himself if John lets his girlfriend live with them.
• Jamie is currently now in the last few months on his music course, hoping to start a band after completing the course.

Personality and Interests:

• His favourite bands are The Smiths, Oasis, Joy Division and Kasabian. He particularly sees Stephen Morrissey, lead singer of The Smiths, as a hero and often quotes his songs when he is trying to prove a point.
• Jamie has a dream of being in a band and being as famous as his idols.
• He often turns to alcohol to attempt to escape his problems, finding a certain numbness in being inebriated that helps him forget his life as it is now. If he has to attend family gatherings, he insists on getting drunk if John's girlfriend is present and has often threatened death on her in private conversations with friends.
• He enjoys watching violent gangster films and often daydreams about taking revenge on his father for his "betrayal".

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Research:

Attention seeking + Narcissistic behaviours

One essential element I sensed from creating this character is that he is very attention-seeking and narcissistic as a result of his anger towards his father. Attention seeking can be a mental condition of itself, so I believed it was essential to ensure that research was conducted in order to make the representation of his attention seeking as realistic as possible.

Excessive attention seeking is not a character flaw. It is a brain wiring response to early developmental trauma caused by neglect. The developing brain observes its environment and wires itself accordingly to survive in that world that it presumes will be like those experiences. Newborns are extremely dependent on getting their mother’s attention for survival. The more their needs are neglected during early development the more the child equates getting attention with survival and safety. In turn, the more he or she develops the belief system that it is necessary to go to whatever lengths to get attention.

Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of attention seeking behavior and extreme emotionality. Someone with histrionic personality disorder wants to be the center of attention in any group of people, and feel uncomfortable when they are not. While often lively, interesting and sometimes dramatic, they have difficulty when people aren’t focused exclusively on them. People with this disorder may be perceived as being shallow, and may engage in sexually seductive or provocative behavior to draw attention to themselves.

Sometimes, however, our natural propensity for attention seeking shifts from a place of healthy sociability and self-care to a symptom of serious psychological distress. In these cases, attention seeking can take the form of behaving in a loud, dramatic, or inappropriate manner, exhibitionism, exaggerating behaviors and emotions, sexual provocation or promiscuity, and engaging in blatant self-destructive acts like substance abuse or even self-injury. Too often, maladaptive attention-seeking behaviors are discounted as character flaws, a dramatic personality, or manipulation. However, these behaviors typically arise as a response to deeply painful trauma or psychological disturbance and reflect a desperate attempt to cope with overwhelming emotional turmoil.
(Gordon, 2014)

Dysfunctional Father-Son Relationships

What is possible between a father and son? What can men do with the array of untapped emotions that shield them from knowing themselves?  As adult men we can’t pretend away old unresolved wounds because the hurts eventually resurface in other areas of our lives.  The unexpressed hurt and anger often transfer onto our love relationships, parenting, challenges at work, and problems with authority.

If we decide to tackle this wounded relationship in therapy, we will invariably encounter an array of painful childhood memories.  We will experience waves of disappointment, rage, and grief at the loss of what we never had with our fathers.   By bravely revealing and working through this boiling cauldron of emotion we may come to a meaningful resolution.
(Goldenberg, 2016)

Father-son relationships are trickier, just as loaded with expectations and fears as mother-daughter. For so long, a son idolizes his dad. There is a mythology around the Superman dad that young children embrace. He’s the biggest, strongest caregiver in their lives for years.
But there’s a point in which this narrative gets challenged, as it must. A boy goes from wanting to be just like his father to wanting to be his own person.
When a son realizes his father is just a man, mortal and flawed, he begins to assert his own identity and challenge his father’s authority and knowledge. A battle of ego and burgeoning manhood collides with wisdom and command.
(Sultan, 2014)

For boys, it seems that a bad father is worse than no father. In my study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, I talked to a group of 99 young men about the quality of care that their fathers provided throughout their childhood and adolescence. The young men, in their late teens and early twenties, were from inner-city Islington, in north London. What emerged was that those who had poor care from their father - either when he was present in the home or absent following divorce - were more likely to develop behaviour problems in their teens than those who had had good paternal care.
(Hepworth, 1998)

The "Rebellious Teen"

Two common types of rebellion are against socially fitting in (rebellion of non-conformity) and against adult authority (rebellion of non-compliance.) In both types, rebellion attracts adult attention by offending it.

The young person proudly asserts individuality from what parents like or independence of what parents want and in each case succeeds in provoking their disapproval. This is why rebellion, which is simply behavior that deliberately opposes the ruling norms or powers that be, has been given a good name by adolescents and a bad one by adults.
(Pickhardt, 2009)

Rebellious Spirits go beyond the stereotypical "rebellious teen" and include people who flagrantly violate rules and social norms, act eccentric or weird, and often don't care what people think about them. Sometimes they even lack normal friends and usually lack good posture. They may be Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, or Chaotic Evil, but they are always chaotic.
(TV Tropes, 2017)

15 Classic Teen Rebellion Movies
1. The Breakfast Club (1985)
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
3. Cry-Baby (1990)
4. An Education (2009)
5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
6. Ghost World (2001)
7. Heathers (1989)
8. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
9. If... (1968)
10. Kids (1995)
11. The Outsiders (1983)
12. Pump Up the Volume (1990)
13. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
14. Thirteen (2003)
15. West Side Story (1961)
(IndieWire, 2013)

The Smiths and Morrissey
Jamie idolizes the music of the band The Smiths and its lead singer Stephen Morrissey. The Smiths are notable for their songs that attack authority, the judgement of others and describe dysfunctional and broken relationships. Morrissey's lyrics are often described as bitter and confessional.

"The Smiths: 10 of the best"
1. Hand In Glove
"And if the people stare, then the people stare / I really don't know and I really don't care..."

2. Reel Around the Fountain
"It's time the tale were told / About how you took a child / And you made him old..."

3. This Night Has Opened My Eyes

"He said he'd cure your ills / But he didn't, and he never will..."

4. This Charming Man
"I would go out tonight / But I haven't got a stitch to wear..."

5. How Soon Is Now?
"You shut your mouth, how can you say / I go about things the wrong way / I am human and I need to be loved / Just like anybody else does..."

6. The Headmaster Ritual

"Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools / Spineless swines, cemented minds..."

7. Shakespeare's Sister

"Oh, I can smile about it now / But at the time, it was terrible..."

8. Asleep

"Don't try to wake me in the morning / For I will be gone..."

9. I Know It's Over

"I don't know where else I can go / It's over, it's over, it's over..."

10. London

"But did you see jealousy in the eyes / Of the ones who had to stay behind?"
(Hann, 2015)

Quotes from Stephen Morrissey:

"What’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning? Wish I hadn’t."

"I just feel that when all is said and done, I am not insane."

"Artists aren't really people. I am actually 40 per cent papier mache."

"When they bury me in the earth and chuck earth on my grave, I'd like the words 'Well, at least he tried' engraved on my tombstone..."
(Wright, 2015)

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References:

Gordon, B. (2014) Excessive Attention Seeking and Drama Addiction. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/obesely-speaking/201411/excessive-attention-seeking-and-drama-addiction. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

Goldenberg, D. (2016) The Psychology Between Strained Father and Son Relationships. Available at: https://www.psychalive.org/psychology-behind-strained-father-son-relationships/. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

Hann, M. (2015) The Smiths: 10 of the best. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jan/21/the-smiths-10-of-the-best. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

Hepworth, C. (1995) Sons damaged by fathers behaving badly. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sons-damaged-by-fathers-behaving-badly-1526679.html. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

IndieWire (2013) 15 Classic Teen Rebellion Movies. Available at: http://www.indiewire.com/2013/03/15-classic-teen-rebellion-movies-100828/. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

Pickhardt, C. (2009) Rebel with a Cause: Rebellion in Adolescence. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200912/rebel-cause-rebellion-in-adolescence. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

Sultan, A. (2014) What can make father and son relationships difficult. Available at: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/relationships-and-special-occasions/parenting/aisha-sultan/what-can-make-father-son-relationships-difficult/article_b1d70afd-bc6b-59ee-92ad-a83f52e81d56.html. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)

TV Tropes (2017) Rebellious Spirit. Available at: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RebelliousSpirit. (Accessed: 29 April, 2017)