Question

Describe Jordan Belfort's behavior from The Wolf of Wall Street using the Ecological Model:

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal (family, friends)

Institutional

Community

Public Policy

Answer 1

Grew Up… with greed in his heart. When he was just 23 he went to Wall Street to strike it rich as a stockbroker. He was taught by broker Mark Hanna that “your only responsibility is to put meat on the table,” and to forget about petty “ethics.”

Living… the sweet life. With the success of his company Stratton Oakmont, which dumps cheap pink-sheet stocks on unwitting individual investors, Jordan is filthy rich. At the age of 26 he made $49 million dollars, “which really pissed me off because it was only three shy of a million a week.” Money flows like water and Jordan starts living the most luxurious lifestyle his young mind can imagine. Helicopters, prostitutes, yachts – nothing is too showy for Jordan. And that’s exactly how he likes it.

Profession… CEO of Stratton Oakmont, a brokerage firm. Jordan does just about anything he can do to make money, and hires people who feel the same way. Jordan spends a lot of his time planning wild parties that even feature midget-tossing, and proudly proclaiming, “Was all this legal? Absolutely not!”

Interests… drinking, drinking and driving, Quaaludes, driving while on Quaaludes, and sex with prostitutes. Yes, it’s a sordid list.

Relationship Status… married. Jordan married his wife Teresa before he became extremely rich, and once the money starts coming in, his fidelity gets weaker and weaker. That’s especially true when Naomi Lapaglia, a lingerie model, comes into the picture.

Challenge… becoming the richest man in the world. Jordan is on the road to becoming wealthier than even the very rich people around him. He throws away money like burnt toast. The only thing standing in his way is the FBI. When Jordan starts making noise in the financial world, the FBI starts investigating him, which could end very, very badly for Jordan and his cohorts.

Personality… greedy, unapologetic, and charismatic. Jordan could sell you anything. And he challenges his friends and employees to learn from his expertise. He might tell them, “Sell me this pen,” just as a test of their skills. He seems to lack the moral compass that most people have, but still remains relatively loyal to his close friends even under pressure.