“They don´t believe in psychologists”: the construction of psychology from everyday life in Guayaquil

ABSTRACT

In this article I analyze the construction of psychology as derived from the everyday life of the people in Guayaquil, Ecuador, through a multi-sited critical ethnography. Results include interpretations around well-being, distress and therapeutic alternatives; as well as observations that account for the tension between psychologization and cultural resistance, the representation of psychologist´s professional role as being charged with expertise and morality, and certain popular expectations regarding the conditions and results of psychological work. Albeit partial, these analyzes contribute to ongoing debates regarding processes of psychologization; and underline the importance of deepening the interculturality of training in heterogeneous and unequal urban contexts, which have complex configurations that amalgamate well-being, social suffering and everyday distress.

KEYWORDS:
Ethnography; culture; psychology; psychologization; Ecuador