ABSTRACT
In the last chapter, some of the affective elements commonly claimed for physical education were examined in relation to the nature of the development of the subject. We now turn to the wider affective dimension, involving philosophical, sociological, social developmental and cultural aspects, to ascertain how important the subject is in the development of individuals and also in the development of whole societies. We will see that physical education plays a major role in development both overtly and by means of the ‘hidden curriculum’. The affective dimension extends further than is initially obvious and in the course of the chapter the boundaries and areas of that influence will be described and defined.
