Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations

9.4. Detachment

In codependency treatment, detachment is a facilitating strategy. Without detachment, the codependent cannot take actions that promote personal autonomy and healing. In classic codependency treatment, the object of this detachment is the addicted other. Codependents must detach themselves to the point where they no longer index their self-esteem and identity to the behavior of this other. Detachment is also necessary to break organizational codependency. If who you are is where you work, you will do almost anything to hang on. If employees derive their sense of identity, self-esteem, and uniqueness from pleasing the boss and remaining in an organizational system, they are in an organizationally codependent relationship. They ...