My perspective on Gwen is that she was probably under a lot of pressure to be perfect all the time. If you read the comics, it's pretty clear that everybody she interacts with thinks that she's the best thing since sliced bread. She's involved in a student activist/political group (presumably it was Civil Rights back then, but you know), so she's probably very busy. She has no mother, and a very close, doting relationship with her father -- but at the time Sins Past is supposed to have happened, her father was recently killed, and she may or may not believe that Spider-Man is out there, getting away with murder. And she's on the outs with her loving boyfriend she just can't seem to communicate with. All of this is a lot of pressure for a girl who's, what, 18-20?
And then there's Norman, an old friend of her father's -- someone she's known for years, and who's apparently in need of nurturing at the same time as she's in need of comfort.