Britney Spears

Assuming there is some grain of truth to the various and sundry reports about Sam Lufti (purported to be a grasping opportunist who's been drifting on the fringes of the Hollywood scene for years), I'd attribute Britney's reaching out to him as seeking a 'father figure', which, in turn, relates back to her parents' split up years ago.

Based on my own experience and observations, radical mood swings as Britney has been undergoing are a form of 'temper tantrum' triggered by a long-term build-up of emotional pressures.

The irony of Britney's situation is that, for the first time in years, her parents appear to be 'on the same page', working as a team in furtherance of Britney's financial and personal interests, which is long overdue.

Britney was thrust into role of family leader as pre-teen by virtue of her becoming the financial breadwinner~a role reversal from typical household~one of the complicating factors in the odyssey we've all been witnessing.