TRUST IS NOT ENOUGH - CLASSROOM SELF-DISCLOSURE AND THE LOSS OF PRIVATE LIVES

The paper presents and critiques some important philosophical and educ ational arguments that are used to support the practice of personal se lf-disclosure in the classroom, both in group settings and in the form of autobiographical journals. It argues that there are important reas ons for valuing privacy even when self-disclosures occur in an environ ment of perfect trust and caring; that to understand the importance of privacy primarily in terms of trust, or the absence of trust, is to r isk overlooking the less apparent, yet more subtle, threats which 'sym pathy' and 'caring' can pose to self-disclosers.