This paper, which is based on our doctorate's thesis, discusses the elementary school teachers' social representations about affectivity, including their content and structure. The following three methods have been used to collected the data: 1) the Free Association, starting from the term "affectivity"; 2) semi-structured interviews; and 3) the hierarchical grouping. The results have shown how important is the affective dimension for students' learning process. Also it has brought out the possible elements to build up a central dimension of the affective representation.
Affectivity; Affective competence; Teaching relationship; Social representations
