Research supporting the theory of self-esteem as a cause of drug use and abuse by Dr. R. Steffenhaghen

Abstract

According to Adlerian Steffenhaghen, the psychodynamic aspect of the approach to drugs is not determined by oral eroticism, a narcissistic personality structure, or being a puer aeternus or a neglected or spoiled child, but by low self-esteem developed due to the meaning that the subject has attributed to certain experiences in the family or school environment. This hypothesis is supported by the results of epidemiological studies already conducted on children and students and by data obtained by the authors themselves using a questionnaire designed to understand difficult children, administered to 40 young people at the Dispensary Center of the Antonini Psychiatric Hospital in Limbiate. The survey found that, from childhood, drug addicts lacked all the factors that lead to the development of a sense of community and a sense of reality. Furthermore, they use drugs as an excuse to protect their self-esteem. It is therefore self-esteem that must be restored to drug addicts through appropriate psycho-pedagogical interventions, including by teachers trained in this field, encouraging the development of their sense of community