Attachment Relationship In The Anti-Drug Social Work

Attachment relationship refers to the intimate emotional relationship between the individual and others. The secure attachment relationship could help the individual to develop their own potential and improve themselves. Generally, the paper hypothesized that in the anti-drug social work1) there are persons who provide intimate relationship to the individuals, whom may be referred to as "key persons";2)"key persons" are significant to the drug addicts;3) such attachment relationship may be interactive, i.e. the drug addicts change from the subject to the object toward their "key persons";4) social workers may significantly contribute to them.By interviewing and observing30drug addicts and their "key persons" as well as3social workers, in the beginning phase, the drug addicts and their "key persons" have insecure attachment relationship showing contradictory emotional state. It is the communication crisis caused by the drug addicts who hurt their "key persons". Apart from it, it is also because that the drug addicts are dependent to their "key persons" in the financial aspect. Meanwhile, such elements helping drug addicts and their "key persons" to re-establish secure relationship, i.e. the desire for understanding and support from "key persons" due to the drug addicts’ deep repentance, and the attachment feelings toward the drug addicts from "key persons ". Therefore, social workers use the family association to stimulate their attachment emotion and modify the internal working models. Besides these, social works also help them to explain the events reasonably and take full advantage of the family association as a "secure base", impelling them toward positive change and re-establishing the secure attachment relationship.It is proved that using the attachment relationship as the core of the counseling process can help the addicts get the emotional support and enhance their confidence in the anti-drug social work. Hence, it can be formed as an anti-drug social work pattern, which emphasizes both emotional demands from the drug addicts and their "key persons". Social workers establish the therapeutic relationship with both two sides and provide them with the sense of security in harmonious atmosphere. Under the assistance of social workers, internal working models are modified and self-concept will be established in the base of building healthy psychological defense mechanisms. Through the process, social workers try to avoid the empathy from the drug addicts and response the case of self-determination.