The work presents important theories, discourses, and concepts as well as the results of previous research and reflections on the use of touch in educational and psychosocial work with children and adolescents. The theoretical study combines insights into the use of touch from the fields of education, social work, counseling, and psychotherapy. The work introduces the historical development of the theme, which only came to the forefront in the 1980s, following media reports of numerous child abuses. The work discusses the significance and impact of historical and societal context on the treatment and perception of touch in working with children. The attitude of professionals toward touch is presented, along with the fear associated with touching children, which has spread in society and among professionals. The theoretical study presents insights into the developmental necessity of touch for a child and various other reasons why professionals use touch in their work or prefer to avoid it. Attention was also given to a critical evaluation of current guidelines for the use of touch.
The study offers a complex understanding of touch that goes beyond the dichotomy of for or against touch, touch as good or bad, and so on. A complex understanding of touch is presented at three levels through the Complex Model of Understanding Touch. An overview of discourses that interweave the field of touching children is provided, and ultimately, a new discourse is presented that understands touch as a complex phenomenon.
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