The life-or-death environment of Squid Game creates a laboratory for examining how extreme stress affects human attachment, trust formation, and responses to betrayal. Each character’s approach to relationships under pressure reveals distinct attachment patterns and trauma histories. For mental health professionals, analyzing these characters provides insights into how attachment styles manifest under stress, how betrayal trauma develops, and how therapeutic relationships can help repair attachment injuries.
Attachment Patterns Under Extreme Stress
Case Study: Ali Abdul (Player 199) – Secure Attachment Under Pressure
Attachment Presentation: Ali demonstrates remarkably secure attachment patterns even under life-threatening circumstances, suggesting strong early attachment experiences within his cultural context.
Secure Attachment Behaviors:
- Consistent trust and cooperation with others
- Ability to form protective alliances quickly
- Emotional regulation under stress
- Empathy and concern for other players’ welfare
- Realistic assessment of others without paranoia or naivety
- Capacity to accept help and offer support mutually
Cultural Attachment Factors: Ali’s attachment security appears rooted in cultural values emphasizing respect for elders, community cooperation, and hierarchical trust. His deference to Sang-woo reflects culturally appropriate attachment to authority figures.
Vulnerability of Secure Attachment: Ali’s tragedy illustrates how secure attachment, while generally adaptive, can become dangerous when others exploit trust. His cultural programming to respect and trust authority figures makes him vulnerable to Sang-woo’s manipulation.
Treatment Implications for Ali-Type Clients:
- Honoring attachment strengths while building discernment
- Cultural sensitivity in understanding trust patterns
- Processing betrayal without destroying capacity for connection
- Building selective trust skills that preserve core attachment security
Case Study: Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) – Anxious Attachment and Approval-Seeking
Attachment Presentation: Gi-hun demonstrates anxious attachment through his desperate need for connection, approval-seeking behavior, and difficulty with emotional regulation under stress.
Anxious Attachment Manifestations:
- Intense need for alliance and acceptance (especially from Il-nam)
- Emotional dysregulation when relationships are threatened
- Self-sacrificing behavior to maintain connections
- Difficulty setting boundaries with others
- Fear of abandonment driving risky relationship choices
- Tendency to idealize attachment figures
Relationship Patterns: Gi-hun’s pre-game relationships show classic anxious attachment: tumultuous marriage ending in divorce, gambling addiction as an attempt to solve problems and gain approval, strained relationship with daughter due to his inconsistent availability.
Adaptive Functions: Gi-hun’s attachment anxiety actually helps him survive by motivating alliance-building and cooperative behavior. His need for connection leads to protective relationships that increase his survival chances.
Treatment Approach for Gi-hun:
- Building emotional regulation skills for attachment anxiety
- Exploring childhood origins of approval-seeking patterns
- Developing secure attachment through consistent therapeutic relationship
- Learning to maintain connections without self-sacrifice
- Building capacity for healthy interdependence
Case Study: Cho Sang-woo (Player 218) – Avoidant Attachment and Emotional Distance
Attachment Presentation: Sang-woo demonstrates classic avoidant attachment through emotional distance, self-reliance, and difficulty maintaining genuine connections under stress.
Avoidant Attachment Behaviors:
- Emotional numbing and compartmentalization
- Prioritizing individual survival over relationship maintenance
- Difficulty expressing vulnerability or asking for help
- Calculating, strategic approach to relationships
- Suppression of empathy to maintain emotional distance
- View of relationships as instrumental rather than intrinsically valuable
Childhood Indicators: Sang-woo’s high achievement orientation and perfectionism suggest possible childhood environments that emphasized performance over emotional connection, leading to avoidant adaptation.
Relationship Deterioration: Under extreme stress, Sang-woo’s avoidant tendencies intensify, leading to betrayal of Ali and eventual complete emotional isolation. His suicide suggests that avoidant attachment provided no resources for meaning-making or connection when faced with ultimate moral isolation.
Treatment Needs for Sang-woo Type:
- Gradual emotional awareness and expression training
- Processing childhood experiences that taught emotional distance
- Building capacity for vulnerability and authentic connection
- Addressing underlying shame that drives emotional avoidance
- Developing empathy and perspective-taking skills
Case Study: Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067) – Disorganized Attachment and Hypervigilance
Attachment Presentation: Sae-byeok shows disorganized attachment patterns resulting from early trauma, including political persecution, family separation, and survival threats.
Disorganized Attachment Manifestations:
- Simultaneous craving for and fear of connection
- Hypervigilance about others’ motives and potential threats
- Difficulty trusting even when trust would be beneficial
- Emotional numbing alternating with intense attachment needs
- Protective aggression toward those she cares about
- Conflicted loyalties and difficulty with relationship boundaries
Trauma History Impact: Sae-byeok’s experiences as a North Korean defector created attachment trauma where caregivers (family, government, community) were simultaneously sources of protection and danger, leading to disorganized internal working models.
Adaptive Strategies: Her attachment disorganization actually serves protective functions in the games, allowing her to remain appropriately suspicious while still forming strategic alliances when necessary.
Treatment Approach for Sae-byeok:
- Trauma-focused therapy addressing early attachment disruption
- Building capacity for organized attachment through consistent therapeutic relationship
- Processing grief and loss related to family separation
- Developing skills for selective trust and appropriate vulnerability
- Addressing hypervigilance while maintaining appropriate caution
Betrayal Trauma Through Character Analysis
The Sang-woo-Ali Betrayal: Case Study in Trust Exploitation
Pre-Betrayal Relationship Dynamics: Ali approaches Sang-woo with culturally appropriate deference and genuine respect, seeing him as educated, competent authority figure worthy of trust. Sang-woo initially protects Ali, creating a legitimate basis for trust and attachment.
The Betrayal Process: Sang-woo exploits Ali’s cultural values (respect for education, age, authority) and personal attachment to manipulate him during the marble game. The betrayal is particularly devastating because it violates multiple trust categories: friendship, protection, and cultural respect.
Ali’s Betrayal Trauma Response:
- Shock and disbelief (“This can’t be happening”)
- Confusion about reality and relationship meaning
- Physical and emotional paralysis
- Desperate attempts to maintain connection even during betrayal
- Final moments of heartbreaking acceptance and grief
Clinical Analysis of Betrayal Impact: This betrayal creates what researchers call “betrayal blindness” – Ali literally cannot process what’s happening because it violates his fundamental assumptions about human relationships and moral behavior.
Treatment Implications:
- Processing betrayal without destroying capacity for appropriate trust
- Addressing cultural dimensions of betrayal and shame
- Building discernment skills while honoring cultural values
- Grief work for loss of worldview and faith in others
Mi-nyeo’s Attachment Chaos: Disorganized Betrayal Patterns
Case Study: Han Mi-nyeo (Player 212) – Chaotic Attachment and Betrayal
Attachment Presentation: Mi-nyeo demonstrates highly disorganized attachment with rapid shifts between desperate connection-seeking and aggressive betrayal of others.
Betrayal Pattern Analysis:
- Forms intense, inappropriate attachments quickly
- Betrays others preemptively to avoid being betrayed first
- Uses sexuality and manipulation as attachment strategies
- Experiences betrayal as confirmation of unworthiness rather than others’ problems
- Cycles between victim and perpetrator roles in relationships
Underlying Trauma: Mi-nyeo’s chaotic attachment suggests early experiences of severe inconsistency, possibly including abuse, abandonment, or caregivers who were simultaneously loving and harmful.
Treatment for Mi-nyeo Type:
- Long-term attachment-focused therapy to build basic trust
- Emotional regulation training for relationship stability
- Processing early trauma that created disorganized attachment
- Building capacity for consistent, boundaried relationships
- Addressing both perpetrator and victim aspects of betrayal experience
Therapeutic Relationship as Corrective Experience
Using Character Relationships as Treatment Models
The Il-nam and Gi-hun Dynamic (before revelation): Their grandfather-grandson relationship illustrates elements of secure attachment that can be replicated therapeutically:
Therapeutic Elements:
- Consistent availability and emotional attunement
- Non-judgmental acceptance of childlike or vulnerable qualities
- Playfulness and shared enjoyment despite difficult circumstances
- Protective instincts without controlling behavior
- Emotional regulation support during stress
- Genuine care and investment in other’s welfare
Clinical Application: Therapists can provide similar corrective attachment experiences for clients with insecure attachment histories, offering the consistent, attuned caregiving that was missing in early development.
Therapeutic Boundaries: Unlike the games’ manipulation, therapeutic relationships must maintain clear boundaries while providing corrective emotional experiences.
Building Trust After Betrayal: Therapeutic Considerations
Graduated Trust-Building with Gi-hun Type Clients:
- Starting with very small, low-risk therapeutic disclosures
- Consistent reliability in scheduling, boundaries, and responses
- Transparent communication about therapeutic process and decisions
- Gradual increase in emotional risk-taking as trust builds
- Explicit discussion of trust-building process and setbacks
Working with Avoidant Clients (Sang-woo Type):
- Respecting emotional distance while remaining consistently available
- Using cognitive approaches before emotional exploration
- Demonstrating reliability through actions rather than words
- Avoiding premature pushes for emotional intimacy
- Building trust through competence and consistency
Therapeutic Approach with Betrayal Trauma (Ali Type):
- Extra attention to therapeutic boundaries and reliability
- Processing betrayal experience without minimizing impact
- Building discernment skills for future relationships
- Honoring cultural values while developing protective strategies
- Addressing both individual and cultural dimensions of betrayal
Attachment Repair Through Character Development
Case Study: Potential Treatment Trajectory for Each Character
Gi-hun’s Therapeutic Journey:
Phase 1: Stabilization and Safety
- Addressing immediate post-traumatic stress symptoms
- Building basic emotional regulation skills
- Establishing consistent therapeutic relationship
- Processing survival guilt and moral injury
Phase 2: Attachment Exploration
- Exploring childhood origins of anxious attachment
- Understanding relationship patterns and their functions
- Processing divorce and family relationship difficulties
- Building capacity for emotional self-soothing
Phase 3: Relationship Skill Building
- Practicing healthy boundaries and communication
- Learning to maintain relationships without self-sacrifice
- Developing secure attachment patterns through therapeutic relationship
- Preparing for healthy reconnection with daughter
Sang-woo’s Potential Recovery Path:
Phase 1: Crisis Intervention
- Suicide prevention and safety planning
- Processing shame and moral injury from betrayals
- Beginning emotional awareness training
- Establishing therapeutic alliance despite avoidant tendencies
Phase 2: Emotional Development
- Building vocabulary for emotional experience
- Processing childhood experiences that taught emotional distance
- Gradual empathy development through perspective-taking exercises
- Addressing perfectionism and achievement-based self-worth
Phase 3: Relationship Reconstruction
- Learning to express vulnerability appropriately
- Building capacity for genuine intimacy and connection
- Making amends where possible and appropriate
- Developing meaning and purpose beyond individual achievement
Sae-byeok’s Trauma-Informed Treatment:
Phase 1: Safety and Stabilization
- Establishing physical and emotional safety
- Trauma psychoeducation and symptom management
- Building basic trust in therapeutic relationship
- Addressing immediate survival needs and family concerns
Phase 2: Trauma Processing
- EMDR or other trauma processing for early attachment disruption
- Grief work for family separation and losses
- Processing political persecution and survival trauma
- Addressing parentification and premature adult responsibilities
Phase 3: Attachment Development
- Building capacity for organized, secure attachment
- Learning to trust selectively and appropriately
- Developing emotional intimacy skills
- Reunification planning and family therapy if possible
Cultural Factors in Attachment and Betrayal
Cross-Cultural Attachment Considerations
Ali’s Cultural Attachment Values:
- Respect for authority and hierarchical relationships
- Collective rather than individual focus
- Extended family and community attachment networks
- Religious and cultural frameworks for understanding trust and betrayal
Treatment Modifications:
- Incorporating cultural values into attachment work
- Understanding betrayal within cultural context of honor and respect
- Working with cultural community leaders and supports
- Addressing immigration stress and cultural adaptation challenges
Sae-byeok’s Political Trauma Context:
- Attachment disruption due to political persecution
- Cultural displacement and adaptation challenges
- Family separation across political boundaries
- Stigma and discrimination affecting attachment opportunities
Organizational and Systemic Interventions
Creating Attachment-Supportive Environments
Lessons from Character Vulnerabilities:
- Economic desperation increases vulnerability to betrayal and exploitation
- Social isolation reduces protective factors for healthy attachment
- Competitive environments can trigger attachment-based survival strategies
- Cultural displacement increases attachment insecurity and trauma risk
Systemic Interventions:
- Economic support reducing desperation that leads to exploitation
- Community building programs supporting social connection
- Cultural competency training for service providers
- Workplace and institutional policies supporting healthy relationships
Prevention and Early Intervention
Early Warning Signs from Character Analysis:
Gi-hun’s Pattern: Relationship chaos, addiction, financial irresponsibility Early Intervention: Relationship counseling, addiction treatment, financial therapy
Sang-woo’s Pattern: Emotional distance, perfectionism, achievement pressure Early Intervention: Stress management, emotional awareness training, work-life balance
Ali’s Pattern: Cultural vulnerability, exploitation, isolation Early Intervention: Cultural support services, worker protection programs, community building
Sae-byeok’s Pattern: Trauma symptoms, hypervigilance, family stress Early Intervention: Trauma therapy, family support services, educational assistance
Long-term Recovery and Resilience
Post-Traumatic Growth Through Attachment Repair
Gi-hun’s Character Arc as Recovery Model:
- Initial attachment chaos and survival guilt
- Gradual development of purpose and meaning
- Commitment to protecting others from similar trauma
- Integration of survival experience into prosocial action
Treatment Goals for Attachment Repair:
- Developing “earned security” through therapeutic relationship
- Building capacity for appropriate trust and vulnerability
- Learning to maintain connections while protecting against exploitation
- Creating meaningful relationships that honor both safety and connection needs
Building Resilient Attachment Patterns
Characteristics of Post-Recovery Attachment Security:
- Ability to trust selectively based on evidence rather than fear or desperation
- Emotional regulation skills that maintain connection during conflict
- Capacity for both intimacy and autonomy in relationships
- Realistic expectations about human nature and relationship challenges
- Skills for repairing relationships after misunderstandings or minor betrayals
Clinical Implications and Recommendations
Assessment Tools for Attachment and Betrayal
Character-Based Assessment Questions:
- “Like Ali, do you tend to trust others quickly and completely?”
- “Like Sang-woo, do you find it difficult to rely on others emotionally?”
- “Like Gi-hun, do you worry about being abandoned or rejected?”
- “Like Sae-byeok, do you feel you must protect yourself from getting too close?”
Treatment Planning Considerations
Matching Interventions to Attachment Style:
- Anxious attachment: Focus on emotional regulation and boundary-setting
- Avoidant attachment: Gradual emotional awareness and expression training
- Disorganized attachment: Trauma processing and basic trust-building
- Earned security: Maintenance and relationship skill refinement
Therapeutic Relationship Factors
Therapist Qualities for Attachment Work:
- Consistent reliability and emotional availability
- Cultural humility and awareness of diverse attachment patterns
- Capacity to maintain appropriate boundaries while providing corrective experiences
- Comfort with long-term attachment-focused work
- Understanding of trauma’s impact on attachment development
Conclusion
The Squid Game characters provide compelling illustrations of how attachment patterns develop, manifest under extreme stress, and can be either damaged or potentially repaired through relationships. Each character’s unique approach to trust, betrayal, and connection reveals different attachment histories and treatment needs.
Ali’s secure attachment strength and vulnerability, Gi-hun’s anxious approval-seeking, Sang-woo’s avoidant emotional distance, and Sae-byeok’s disorganized hypervigilance all represent different pathways by which early experiences shape adult relationship patterns and responses to betrayal.
For mental health professionals, understanding these patterns through character analysis provides insights into assessment, treatment planning, and the use of therapeutic relationships as vehicles for attachment repair. The series demonstrates both the vulnerability inherent in human attachment and its necessity for survival and meaning.
The key insight from analyzing these characters is that attachment injuries, while profound and lasting, can be healed through consistent, attuned, and boundaried relationships. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes a laboratory for learning new ways of connecting that honor both the need for safety and the human requirement for authentic connection.
Recovery from attachment trauma and betrayal ultimately involves developing what might be called “wise attachment” – the ability to remain open to connection while maintaining appropriate protection, to trust based on evidence rather than desperation or fear, and to maintain hope for genuine relationships despite past disappointments.
Through understanding characters like those in Squid Game, mental health professionals can better recognize, assess, and treat the complex ways that attachment trauma affects adult functioning and relationships, providing pathways to healing that honor both the wounds of the past and the possibilities for future connection.