ABSTRACT
This work is a historiographic analysis of the conditions and processes that made possible the emergence of Social Psychology as a discipline or field of study /intervention in Brazil. It indicates how it was involved in the Brazilian context, starting from the so-called "social thought", followed by an interdisciplinary form (or pre-disciplinary) until its emerging as a separate field in the Departments of Psychology of the first national universities situated in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. This article continues with a presentation of the critiques originated in the United States and Europe, on the social relevance of this discipline. Finally, it discusses the meaning of this critique and the different answers that were given to the Brazilian case.
Keywords:
social psychology; history of psychology; history of science