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Accepted Paper:
Imposing Meaning: An Exploration of Authenticity and Transference in the Classroom
Aurora Schifferli
(Connecticut College)
In this paper, I examine the role of a child’s autonomy through a two-person psychological lens. I advocate for the process of self-examination within the inherently imbalanced power dynamic in the child-authority figure dyad in order to preserve children’s authenticity.
Paper long abstract:
Freedom is perhaps the most important quality anyone can have. Wars have been fought and entire nations have been birthed out of the struggle for liberation. To the existentialists, freedom was the very meaning of life, the raison d’être. And who among us possesses more freedom than the child, with their boundless optimism and creativity?
Children will lead more meaningful lives if we allow them to explore life on their own. Rather than forcing children to conform to arbitrary rules, educators should take a step back and focus on empowering children to make their own decisions and learn for themselves. This classroom approach can help children develop a greater sense of self-responsibility and authenticity for themselves. In this paper, I examine the role of a child’s autonomy in the process of their creation of meaning through a two-person psychological lens. I go on to advocate for the enabling of children to be free through the process of self-examination within the inherently imbalanced power dynamic in the child-authority figure dyad. Our responsibility towards children should always be the empowerment of them to lead authentic lives.