Infantilization & The Rise of Therapeutic Education
Written by Paul Dean
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
According to Timesonline, “Schools and universities are producing a generation of ‘can't do’ students, who are encouraged to talk about their emotions at the expense of exploring ideas or acquiring knowledge, academics claimed yesterday… [In their new book], The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education, Dennis Hayes and Kathryn Ecclestone, of Oxford Brookes University, argue that this ‘therapeutic’ approach to education is at odds with the acquisition of knowledge because it views the emotional skills associated with learning as more important than subject content or criticism.
The rise of therapeutic education is reflective of a culture absorbed in self and should frighten us all in terms of the worldview that is being foisted upon our children and future generations. When an individual is born of the Spirit, not only does he have a new nature but his thinking and response to the world can be transformed through the renewing of his mind. Growing Christians don’t need therapy (as distinguished from biblical admonition/counseling). They have the attitude that God has put us here for a purpose and we as an individuals are going to fulfill that purpose by pursuing the tasks God has given us to the best of our ability with His empowerment and for His glory. They have a “can do” attitude. Therapeutic education militates against that “can do” attitude and causes us to be a culture of constant whiners.
On today’s edition of “Calling for Truth,” we’ll talk about the rise of therapeutic education, its implications, and a biblical response.
