On ‘emotional education’: subjectivity and psychologization in late modernity

Abstract

This paper analyzes a series of discourses that promote the so called "emotional education", which rely on contributions from positive psychology, theories of intelligence and emotional competences. This inquiry enables exploration of the type of subject these discourses seek to shape, the characteristics and abilities promoted among students, as well as the way emotions are conceived and manners to deal with them. The paper hypothesizes that these discourses are part of what some authors refer to as "therapeutic ethos", which postulates that through knowing and managing one's emotions it is possible to take advantage of them in order to achieve success and emotional well-being. Additionally, this paper holds the view that by focusing on the individual and the development of specific competences, these approaches leave in the shadows institutional, socioeconomic and cultural conditions, therefore overlooking the relational nature of individuals’ emotions, both in general and in educational settings in particular. The paper concludes with a series of questions about the relationship between these approaches and the implications of their implementation when working with children and young people, as well as about their connection with processes of socio-educational inequality.