Abstract
In this paper we respond to this special issue’s critical focus on mental health in education by considering the medicalised and homogenising approaches to the mental health of young people and the severely neg- ative consequences for young people. Our argument is underpinned by the need to destabilise the hegemony of the current dominant discourses and practices of mental health used in education. The problem with these discourses and practices, informed by particular forms of psychiatry and psychology, is precisely their dominance and their popularised proxy take-up of these. We firstly outline this problem, explore the emergence and saturation of a ‘damaged self’ in education and consider the impact on young people. We offer counter-narratives that involve a reframing of the self in relation to ethics, politics, capability and the arts and can assist in countering the psy-dominance in education. The paper concludes with some reflections on how teachers might work against the damaging effects of the psy-disciplines and instead support young people in find- ing their counter-narrative selves.
Original language | English |
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Journal | International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education |
Early online date | 17 Jul 2023 |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 17 Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords
- capability
- counter-narratives
- psy-discourses
- Self
- selfwork
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education