PROFESSION/COMPETENCE - This distinction is particularly important in places, such as schools, where the relational component is paramount. The profession of a teacher consists of his/her knowledge, acquired - for example - through his/her academic training, whereas competence (from the Latin cum petere) means being able to go down a path with someone, i.e. knowing how to handle pupils. This (relational) competence, however, cannot be divorced from a knowledge of the subject matter, as the latter has to be displayed and dispensed to each pupil in the most appropriate way. It should be noted that competence is increasingly jeopardised in schools nowadays (teachers are deprived of it) by a number of rules that are being imposed from the outside (see "Da professione a competenza" di A. Foletto).

PROCESS - This essentially entails a mental process to trigger a process in someone else and to create a connection. It starts from listening, not in the sense of passively registering, but in actively going through the process, as the other person's motivation must be borne in mind if we are to entrust them with work to the satisfaction of both. Very often process is confused with making an effort, which is tantamount to going through the motions. It is in fact not a matter of sharing the effort, but rather of co-participating in the process based on personal initiative* (see also L'onore dello studente, by A. Foletto).

PSYCHOANALYST - Besides being trained specifically to listen, the psychoanalysts meeting the teachers are involved with the specific issues affecting schools. Such issues are not about what or how to teach, i.e. the professional aspect of teaching, but rather about feelings, passion, interest, motivation, satisfaction, benefits etc., that are more closely connected to competence. These aspects are also closely linked to the specific needs of the educational system, which should aim at identifying subjects and personalities rather than at standardising them.

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