How on earth do I deal with such students and their parents?- On the process of affect regulation in teachers and trainee teachers working with students from families in social risk categories

This paper is based on the hypothesis that teachers are influenced by conscious and unconscious social belief systems which influence affect regulation. When teachers are confronted with students from families at social risk, underlying social belief systems can be activated which undermine their professional stance. These processes are illustrated by way of two examples. The consequences for teacher training are then outlined.