What happens to the “social” in psychosocial?: Exploring epistemic practices and therapeutic culture in teacher education

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the psychosocial as an influential epistemic category in the context of a globalised therapeutic culture. Drawing on empirical data from fieldwork conducted at a teacher education institution in Norway, we conceptualise the psychosocial as epistemic practice and analyse three interrelated social levels: the individual level, concerned with teachers’ performance as social caretakers; the community level, characterised by a diagnosing gaze on individual pupils; and the societal level, understood as structural threats to well-being. Our study suggests that these epistemic practices favour psychological diagnosis and individual protection over shared knowledge and broader social awareness.publishedVersio