The aim of the present study was to offer an interpretation of the treatment given to the child and adolescent labor theme in the Brazilian academic production in Psychology. A total of 29 articles published between 1985 and 2012 were analyzed. The social studies about childhood, the studies regarding the construction of social problems and the production of John Thompson regarding ideology were considered. At the methodological level, we sought to link depth hermeneutics, as proposed by John Thompson, to the content analysis techniques. We observed the use of dramatic rhetoric that stigmatizes working children and poor families. This production can be (re)interpreted as ideological, in the sense that it supports relationships of domination between ages and social classes.
Childhood; Psychology; Scientificand Technical Publications; Child labor