Development Discourse for Socio-Emotional Well-Being

Socio-emotional well-being nurtured through caring
relationships and pro-social community
experiences enables children and caretakers to
evolve into caring, non-violent, optimally-
functioning citizens. 'Socially-constructed
uncertainties' resulting from modernization as well
as economic and social change, however, put a
squeeze on social support network structures, and
jeopardize the prospects for the constructive
satisfaction of psychological needs. This text-
analytical study explores how 'text communications'
of socio-econonomic discourse producers such as the
United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and
the World Bank acknowledge or neglect to discuss the
significance of socio-emotional well-being for human
and social capital development. The study finds
that socio-economic development discourse
often backgrounds discussions about social support
structures necessary for nurturing optimal human
functioning . Psychologists are called upon
to infect socio-economic reasoning systems by
advocating for the effective integration of socio-
emotional well-being themes into 21st century socio-
economic development thought.

Autorentext

Friedrich W. Affolter, Ed.D. is a graduate of the Center for International Education (CIE) of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He consults in the areas civil society and community capacity development, victims empowerment, teacher training, non-formal education and transformational learning.

Klappentext

Socio-emotional well-being - nurtured through caring relationships and pro-social community experiences - enables children and caretakers to evolve into caring, non-violent, optimally-functioning citizens. 'Socially-constructed uncertainties' resulting from modernization as well as economic and social change, however, put a squeeze on social support network structures, and jeopardize the prospects for the constructive satisfaction of psychological needs. This text-analytical study explores how 'text communications' of socio-econonomic discourse producers such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank acknowledge or neglect to discuss the significance of socio-emotional well-being for human and social capital development. The study finds that socio-economic development discourse often 'backgrounds' discussions about social support structures necessary for nurturing 'optimal human functioning'. Psychologists are called upon to 'infect' socio-economic reasoning systems by advocating for the effective integration of socio-emotional well-being themes into 21st century socio-economic development thought.