Abstract

The 20th century saw a profound change to the model of humanity commonly accepted in the West. At the start of the century the tripartite model of personhood included the components of mind, body and soul, or the physical, mental and moral/spiritual aspects of being. By the end of the century, this had changed to physical, mental and emotional. This substitution of ‘emotional’ for ‘moral’ has had profound effects, not the least on teaching. The effects have included alterations to the content of education, including the introduction of programs to preserve/promote children's self esteem, and interest in topics such as ‘emotional intelligence’. Also affected, however, has been how teaching itself is conceptualised. This paper will consider some of these effects and their consequences for teaching and teachers.