Okay so the point of this thread is to muscle up opinions and analyses on the main characters of the show. I want valid reasons for why you think the characters behave as such. This is mostly in response to the constant and consistent posts about Amy's attitude as of late, but also to kind of review the characters as we continue to watch the season and find out the new stuff. The characters that will probably be talked about the most are:

Amy- Why is she bratty? To what extent is she justified in acting this way?
Ben- Why is he clingy?
Ricky- What are his motives for always wanting sex? Is he capable of actually being committed?
Adrian- Why does she allow Ricky to treat her the way he does? Why does she like sex so much?
Grace- Is she finally dealing with her father's death properly?
Jack- Is he truly done with drinking? How has home-life affected the way he deals with situations?
Ashley- How has everything affected her?

These aren't really questions that you have to answer; they're just kind of like guiding questions, like on essays. And if you want you can throw in stuff about George, Anne, Leo, Tom, Kathleen, Cindy, Reuben, Mr.Molina...whoever.

The whole point is that we get alot of responses so that this can stay at the top and counteract some of the redundant posts that we (some, but not all, of course) and so we can have character profiles based on what we think based on what we've seen thus far of the show. I'll take the most valid responses and put them in the main post. We'll start with Amy since she's a heated topic of discussion right now, and then I'll add the others when I get responses. (And, yes, I know this will probably fail, but it's worth a shot and I have nothing else to do at the moment).

AMY

• -Unit7: "She is at war with herself. A side of her wants to prove to the world she can do this, yet the other side wants help and is crying out for it. Yet neither can truly can claim victory. While early on the side asking for help was dominating, the sense of wanting to prove herself has managed to take control. But while fighting, it has neglected to see the truth.

  That for her to prove the world, she needs to bring peace to the warring halves and work in unison.

  Of course there is also a third party involved. Her motherly senses to protect John from any and all precieved threats to his well being or comfort. Whether its how to propperly get him to feel comfortable at his Nursery, or who baby sits him. As we look in on this, its easy to see the right decisions. It would be easy for us to tell her the correct path, but for her its different. Her decisions are not rational and are not founded on simple logic.

  2 parts of her are at war, while another part of her is caught in the middle and has yet to properly develop.

  Then there is the whole epic battle between Ricky and Ben. Both trying to do what they think is best, yet at the same time trying to undermine the other. This only stresses her out more, because on some level she sees this battle. Which is why I think she is on edge all the time.

  Of course lets not forget her school work. She also wants to have good grades and get a good education so that she can better provide for John."

• -cr112387: "... not every teen that has a baby grows up and realizes that the world no longer revolves around them any more they have another human life to take care. Some teens still live in the fantasy world where the baby just exists but the world still revolves around them... How many people haven't heard...that once you have the baby your teenage life will be over... no more hanging out with your friends, no more partying etc... from now on it's all about the baby??? Those statements are true but with Amy being a new mom it hasn't sunk into her yet and plus I think the purpose of her whining about needing free time or time alone from John is to show teens that once you have a baby your going to want free time or a break but as a mom you may never get it since raising a child is a full time job. [It] is a normal thing for Amy to think [that she is an adult] whether it's true or not.
• -ilovetd: "There's a couple of things going on here, I think. She wants to be a normal teenager, of course. She's furious with herself for letting this happen. She doesn't feel like anyone can understand what she's going through. Also, she has all the classic signs of post partum depression (self esteem issues, 24/7 depression, snapping against the people she loves, wanting a break but not trusting others to watch her baby, etc). I suspect this (PPD) could actually be a very good storyline for this show, actually."

BEN

• -ThankGravity: "For Ben, I think a big reason for hm being clingy is from the loss of his mother. He doesn't want to loose another person. And also, he feels threatened by Ricky because him and Amy are always going to be connected."
• - seclifeislove: "Ben is clingy because of what he has been through in his life thats been hard for him. One his mom died when he was young. Its hard losing a parent at any age but it realy take a toll on you when your young. Because of this he doesnt want to lose anyone especially anyone who hes close with. Also Amy having another guys baby. he might feel somewhat neglacted because he knows ricky and john will always have a place in her heart that he will never have and maybe hes trying to get as much as her heart as he can. Also with losing his mother he might feel like he is going to lose amy becuase of john or because of ricky. Losing someone is one of the hardest things a person can go through so having the feeling of losing his mother and having a chance of losing amy he has to always feel like he needs to show what he feels and always making sure that person will always be there."
• -ilovetd: "Mother's death certainly plays a role. I also think it's part of his personality and the family he was raised in (getting married early, finding the love of your life early, etc). He knows it's possible for and enduring relationship to blossom out of teenage love, because his parents did it successfully. I think that's why he doesn't buy the "you're too young" line completely."

RICKY

• -Hannah_Banana222: "His father sexually abused him when he was little. Being taken advantage of, he now has deep inner desires to do the same to Adrian. Having sex willingly puts him in control for a change."
• -soinlove14: "Why does anyone have sex? That I don't understand. Why do people jump from bed to bed? Just for the fun of it I guess. Maybe he think[s] that he's a failure everywhere else, so he needs to do what he's good at. Sex... Maybe he isn't in control of anything else in his life, but he is in control of who he has sex with."
• -ilovetd: "I don't think he is capable of commitment at this point. He has not fully dealt with the repercussions of the abuse inflicted upon him, and in turn he uses that which controlled him (sex) as a method of gaining control over others. From a very young age, he learned that sex is about control and power, not love, and to control other people you overpower them (emotionally or physically) with sex. He has a lot of growing up to do before he can be a decent partner to any woman. Also, he could very easily slip into the cycle of abuse, which is one of the reasons I find it so disturbing that people on these forums want Ricky and Amy together. Bad boys are not always tameable no matter how much sweet girls want them to be. He's not there yet. The controlling behavior that he exhibits toward Adrian is unacceptable, and could easily be a slippery slope into abuse. He needs some celibate time to learn to love himself."

ADRIAN

• -Hannah_Banana222: "Adrian is insecure. She just wants to be loved. And like many many people, she confuses sex with love. With her mother who's never around and father who didn't care enough to even meet her until she was almost an adult, she has no one but Ricky to love her."
• -LyreLove2012: "It is very sad, but Adrian associates sex with her self-worth (which is why she likes it)."
• -ilovetd: "Major daddy issues going on here. She is looking for love in all the wrong places. I would not be surprised to learn that one of her mom's boyfriends was sexually abusive to her. I think she probably had sex at a young age and liked the results that she could get with it from the people she was sleeping with. She uses her sexuality as a tool to get things she wants. I do love how smart she is, with good grades and such. And fairly responsible - no drugs or alcohol, doesn't speed or drive recklessly, is on the pill and uses condoms, etc."

GRACE

• -writersdevil0203: "Grace took her father's death extremely personal, and used the help others were offering her to learn how to effectively cope with her father's death and learn that life does go on. Although she may never be completely over her father's death, I believe she is dealing with it in her own way and doing it quite well. It seemed as if she used the summer away to her advantage and it gave her something else to focus on other than the fact that her father was dead. I believe we'll see more of Grace becoming her own person and continuing to follow her own convictions as we have in the past. I think she's used her father's death to make her a stronger person and I think were going to see just how strong she's become in these upcoming episodes."

ASHLEY

• -Hannah_Banana222: "She's the only normal character on the show, having little personal drama. Because of this, she is neglected the attention she deserves for remaining sane through all this."
• -ilovetd: "She seems to be the only one operating at full brain power most of the time. Her entire family has their own issues, so you can see why she hasn't reached out for friends much. Why go seeking teen drama when you have so much drama going on at home."