Sep 08, 2026
New article on emotional violence
According to (inter)national studies, emotional abuse by teachers toward students—in the form of insults and belittling remarks—appears to be part of everyday school life. At the same time, identifying and defining psychological abuse in specific cases poses a challenge.
In their article, Prof. Sophia Richter and Prof. Anne Piezunka examine existing discourses on the phenomenon and identify various dimensions relevant to the definition of emotional violence. They show that emotional violence should be understood as a relational phenomenon that unfolds within the context of four dimensions: 1) the epistemic dimension; 2) the structural and cultural dimension; 3) the relational dimension; and 4) the personal dimension.
The article was published in June 2026 in the journal “Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung.”