We are pleased to present the articles in the thematic section with the perspective of Social Psychology of Work. Historically, the theme of work has been underrepresented in our journal and this is a great opportunity to expand discussions, showing the reader the diversity of approaches in contemporary Psychology.
Social Psychology of Work has been developed in Brazil over the last decades and, more recently, Brazilian researchers have sought dialogue with colleagues from other Latin American countries that share similar social problems. Therefore, articles of Chilean and Colombian researchers have been included in this issue.
One of the most important aspects that characterize Social Psychology of Work is the clear focus on the work phenomena and the contradictions inherent to it from the perspective of the workers themselves. Its major objective is related to the problems workers face at work without, however, forgetting that this includes daily practices of domination and resistance derived from the opposition of interests between capital and labor.
Thus, by focusing on the subjectivity of workers and interpersonal relationships that occur in the workplace, studies in Social Psychology of Work consider both the micro-social contexts in which the work activity takes place and the macro-social and historical characteristics that determine it. It lies thus between the critical approaches of Psychology that oppose the precepts of hegemonic positive science. It also differs radically from conventional approaches of Psychology in the field of work, which generally adopt a discourse of neutrality and a conciliatory stance between the interests of management and of workers.
Therefore, the reader may notice a similarity between the authors' ethical and political principles, as they critically analyze the work characteristics in the contemporary context. However, a convergence around a single theoretical or methodological perspective will not be found. Diversity is one of the characteristics of Social Psychology of Work and different theories and methods are adopted due to the affiliations of authors or the needs required in each real context researched.
In this thematic section, we seek to bring together articles that address conceptual, historical and methodological issues and research reports. We open the issue with two essays that focus on the relationship that Psychology has established with the world of work. The first article, by Hernán Camilo Pulido Martinez (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia) presents some "colonial dimensions" of Work Psychology in the Southern Hemisphere in comparison with those produced in the North. He presents arguments that seek to demonstrate how the relationship between Psychology and work occurred in Latin America by uncritically importing models and concepts and ignoring the implications of what happens when knowledge 'travels' beyond the borders of the countries where it was produced.
Following the same critical perspective, the second article by Fabio de Oliveira (Universidade de São Paulo), Heloisa Aparecida de Souza, Caroline Cristiane de Sousa (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas) and myself analyzes two different approaches in Psychology concerning work in the Brazilian context: Social Psychology of Work and Organizational Psychology. We focus on the historical developments of these two perspectives and conclude that they have few points in common, not allowing, therefore, to be considered as two approaches to the same area within Psychology, as it has been proposed by the current hegemonic discourse.
The focus of the third article by Álvaro Soto, Antonio Stecher and Alan Valenzuela, from the Chilean Universities Alberto Hurtado and Diego Portales, is a methodological one. The authors propose a model to analyze the relationship between narrative construction of identity in the workplace and the dynamics of identity interpellation. They argue that the proposed model allows one to contextualize and give sense to the reflective and interpretive exercise of the narrative identity construction at work. The model is illustrated with the presentation of two case studies in Chile.
The following articles refer to research reports in Social Psychology of Work, focusing on different work contexts. Mariana Prioli Cordeiro and Leny Sato (Universidade de São Paulo) present the results of a survey conducted with psychologists working at the Unified Social Assistance System. The authors discuss the ways in which these professionals experience and perceive the process of outsourcing that has taken place in this field.
Tielly Rosado Maders and Maria Chalfin Coutinho (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) discuss the results of a survey that aimed to understand the significance of free time in the daily lives of offshore workers who work on oil rigs. They seek to show how workers organize their lives between the time they are on offshore oil platforms and onshore.
Luiz Gonzaga Chiavegato Filho (Universidade Federal de São João del Rei) conducted a survey that adopts theoretical framework of the Clinic of Activity analyzing the work of doctors of the Unified Health System. The author shows how the activity of these professionals has not escaped the contemporary neoliberal logic of work, characterized by the absence of collective work, impoverishment of professional identity and engagement in a frustrating activity. He concludes that those conditions directly affect the health of doctors.
In the last article in the thematic section, based on the concept of care and the Theory of Social Representation, Rosemeire Aparecida Scopinho and Anadelia Rossi (Universidade Federal de São Carlos) analyze the social representations of caregivers who work at a residential child care institutions. The authors show how identity and skills, typically considered feminine in our society, anchored the social representations of caregivers regarding their activity.
All these articles contribute to highlight the complexity of contemporary work, particularly in Brazil and other Latin American countries, the impact on the lives and health of workers and the ethical commitment that psychology should have within this context both in the field of scientific research and professional practice.
Prof. Dra. Marcia Hespanhol Bernardo
Associate Editor
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas,
Centro de Ciências da Vida, Programa de Pós-Graduação
em Psicologia como Profissão e Ciência
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
Jan-Mar 2017
