I guess it's maybe a question of which emotion he is letting lead him... e.g. fear leads him to say 'no' to Jack (i would suggest, of course, that there is more to him saying no than just 'fear'), angers leads him to get into fights, i think embarrassment leads him to start dating Cassie (that all happened after the scene with Alma in the kitchen), and, in the end, love leads him to Jack's parents?