Paper Contents
Abstract
Emotional abuse in educational settings is a growing concern that negatively impacts the mental health and academic performance of students. This paper examines the various forms of emotional abuse in schools, such as invalidation, passive aggression, silent treatment, derogatory nicknames, Gaslighting, projection, boundary violations, and body shaming, and explores their detrimental effects on studentsemotional and psychological well-being. Emotional abuse often leads to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, with long-term consequences on studentsself-esteem and academic success. The paper highlights the need for educators to develop emotional intelligence and adopt inclusive, supportive teaching practices to prevent emotional harm. It also emphasizes the importance of creating a positive and empathetic classroom environment, fostering intrinsic motivation in students, and providing accessible counseling and therapeutic services. By addressing emotional abuse through systemic changes, teacher training, and community collaboration, educational systems can work toward ensuring a safe, nurturing space where students can thrive emotionally and academically. Among the burning issues in the educational field today, one significant problem is emotional abuse. At various times and under different circumstances, students are affected by this issue. There has been much discussion about this in educational psychology. It is not only students who are affected; teachers too, at times, are emotionally abused by students in different ways, which is another separate issue. However, when students face such problems during their developmental phase, their overall mental health is negatively impacted. Stress, anxiety, depression, and various types of phobias invade their minds to such an extent that they sometimes choose the path of suicide. According to the NCRB report, in India, a student commits suicide every 42 minutes. When we examine the reasons, it might be found that many of them choose suicide because they have been emotionally abused. Some teachers are involved in such behavior, whether due to personal reasons or other factors, by treating students in an unbearable manner. Some may argue that these teachers are merely disciplining the students. Here, a crucial distinction must be made: the main purpose of punishment, according to behavioral psychology, is to reduce the frequency or magnitude of undesirable behavior so that the student refrains from repeating the action. In contrast, emotional abuse aims to intentionally destabilize the emotional balance of the student, directly attacking their emotions, provoking them, suppressing them, and creating a situation where they cannot set clear goals or adapt successfully. In such cases, students lose their rational stability and become distanced from practical thinking. Some teachers do this intentionally, others unknowingly, and some may do this due to inherent behavioral traits.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 DR. ABHIJIT HALDER. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
