Affective Statements
Affective statements are brief comments about how others have been affected by an offender’s behavior. They relate directly to the “Nine Affects” discussed in the previous lesson and are important to more formal restorative practices. They are phrased as personal expressions of feeling in response to specific positive or negative behaviors of others. They provide feedback on the impact and scope of the intended or unintended harm that has resulted from a negative behavior or action. Affective statements provide information that can be used to restore a good feeling between all who have been affected when harm has been done to their relationships.
The purpose of affective statements is to humanize the person making them, immediately changing the dynamic. The sharing of feelings is what communicates an understanding of the harm that has been done, and what steps can be taken to improve the relationships in the school community. High quality affective statements can have a significant and cumulative impact in the school.
Some examples of affective statements:
While these statements convey feelings in a personal way, they can be improved upon with affective questions. Before reading the next section, reflect on what you might say differently to achieve the purpose of sharing feelings, while lessening the judgment or blame attached.
Affective Questions
Restorative practices acknowledge the intrinsic worth of the person and their potential contribution to the school, the school community and society (Braithwaite, 1989). Affective questions take a further step, asking the offender to define in his or her own words the actions that were offensive, and how others have been affected.
Examples of higher-quality affective statements incorporating affective questions:
The goal is not to dilute awareness of the negative impact of the behavior, but to present the issue as specifically and precisely as possible while encouraging the student to express his or her own feelings about what happened. By focusing on behavior, and the feelings involved, the teacher or facilitator separates the deed from the person, removing any focus on the intrinsic worth of the individual and reflecting instead on what happened and why.
Assignment:
The right-click function has been disabled for all ASAP Elearning Solutions assessments.