Spirituality and Self: A Case from Drug Education*

Abstract

Drugs education in the United Kingdom is still at an early stage. Government strategies have highlighted parents as an important aspect of children's drugs education. This paper reports on research that has explored parents’ and young people's perception of drug issues as well as the experience of communication about drugs within the family. Data has been collected within a PCP approach using focus group discussions as well as self‐characterisation with parents and 15 year old adolescents and we highlight one such case. The data was considered from the Individuality, Commonality and Sociality corollaries. This research has highlighted the need for young people to establish a sense of self and to fulfil a meaningful life. We have identified this as being a spiritual need. This paper examines these findings from a range of literature on spirituality and explores spirituality from a Kellyan perspective. A key phase of this research is the facilitation of communication between parents and children about drugs and their related issues. *A paper presented to the XIIIth International Congress on Personal Construct Psychology. The Person in Society: Challenges to a Constructivist Theory, Berlin, July 26th to 31st, 1999.