The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications for democratic experiences when using socio-emotional programs as value-based education. In all democratic European countries, the school as an institution has been given a specific responsibility to foster and educate future citizens by equipping the pupils with democratic values and skills. In recent years, a school’s democratic assignment has often been interpreted in terms of social and emotional learning (SEL). This interpretation of democratic education as a form of therapeutic intervention can be understood, from a sociological perspective, as a part of a wider therapeutic culture where the focus on emotions and how to handle emotions is regarded as enlightened and good (Furedi 2003).
The results of an ethnographic case study of the implementation of a social-emotional program as value-based education in a nine grade class are presented and discussed. The main results suggest that the implementation of the SEL program in the studied class can be understood as counter-productive as regards creating a democratic school culture for teachers and pupils. Neither teachers’ nor pupils´ critiques of the SEL program were heard or taken seriously. There was no forum for critical discussions on the premises of the program – critique was silenced and resistances were ignored. Furthermore, there was no place for political questions in the SEL activities as the focus was directed to the handling of emotions. The pupils expressed less belief in democratic processes after (being compelled to) participating in the SEL program than before.