Beyond Perception: A Communicative Construction Theory of Psychological Safety Through Emotional Intelligence and Empathic Communication in Inclusive Educational Contexts

Abstract

Abstract: The construct of psychological safety has become a relevant factor in the field of educational and organizational studies, because of its effect on learning, participation, collaboration and well-being. The existing research primarily conceptualizes psychological safety as an individual perception or as a climate in which there is the reduction of interpersonal risk. Although this perspective has informed understanding of the causes and consequences of psychological safety, it does not provide much insight into the communicative processes in which psychological safety is formed, maintained, and felt in the day to day interactions in education. This theoretical paper presents a Communicative Construction Theory of Psychological Safety based on Emotional Intelligence Theory, Social Constructionism, Discursive Psychology, and Communication as Constitutive Organization. The paper theorizes that psychological safety is not just a cognitive evaluation of interpersonal conditions but a socially constructed reality that becomes salient in the repetition of communicative practices. Specifically, emotional intelligence is considered to be a foundational ability that facilitates empathic communication and results in Emotionally Intelligent Discursive Practices, a proposed construct that describes communication practices involving the validation of perspectives, emotion regulation, participation encouragement, and relational trust. In inclusive education environments, these communicative processes constitute and maintain the psychological safety. The proposed framework is an extension of the previous research on psychological safety, which merges the emotional, relational, and discursive components of psychological safety in a single theoretical model. This article adds to inclusive education literature by providing a novel discussion on the role of emotionally intelligent and empathic communication practices in creating psychologically safe learning environments that support participation, belongingness, collaboration and student well-being. Future empirical research directions and implications for inclusive education practice are also discussed.