Reference no: EM133402964

Case Study: Mackenzie's mother never denied her daughter's story of the mother's boyfriend mistaking Mackenzie for her. In fact, she was flattered by the mix-up and called it an innocent mistake. (The boyfriend denies the incident occurred.) The mother also never denies an incident on the staircase, although she states Mackenzie stomped off to her room. (Mackenzie's dad was a soap opera star.) Mackenzie's mom when asked by an investigator with the Department of Social Work to explain her daughter's self-injuries, as the mother labels them, tells the investigator her daughter has more problems than even she realized. The mother is then arrested by the investigator. (In the end, Mackenzie's mother was cleared of all charges and had her records expunged of these charges.)

Clearly the daughter and social worker and the legal system offer conflicting images of the mother. Even the mother offers conflicting images of hers.

Question: How do these differing views complicate how we view the mother's responses?