Psychology and psychoanalysis in Brazil - From cultural syncretism to the collapse of liberal individualism

This paper focuses first on cultural syncretism, used to characterize Brazilian culture. The other aspect of this socially and racially blended culture is the unfinished assimilation of liberalism in politics and the economy, which defines Brazilian society. The increased assimilation and dissemination of psychology may be linked with these in cultural and social aspects. During the military period (1964-1974) the major expansion in university-level studies in psychology contributed ideologically to the dissemination of psychology throughout Brazilian society. This introduced a type of psychology that was related primarily to clinical practice and developed in opposition to social work practice. This paper examines the ideological bases for this conflict between clinical and social work. Criteria for understanding the cultural dissemination of psychoanalysis are then discussed, and it is argued that cultural incorporation of psychoanalysis involves the development of discourse complexes to reflect particular aspects of Brazilian society. The criteria (a non-totalitarian society and the displacement of a magical and religious interpretation of mental disturbance by psychiatric interpretation) are evaluated in relation to the peculiarities of Brazilian syncretism. The paper argues that cultural syncretism and the incomplete assimilation of liberal ideology must be included as criteria in understanding the particular cultural incorporation of psychoanalysis in Brazil.

Amerindian anthropology and cultural psychology: Crossing boundaries and meeting otherness` worlds

Addressing integrative possibilities between psychology and anthropology, this paper aims to design conceptual linkages between semiotic-cultural constructivist psychology and the anthropological theory of Amerindian perspectivism. From the psychological view, it is the interdependence between the structural and processual dimensions of the personal culture that makes parallels with Amerindian perspectivism fruitful. This anthropological frame proposes an experiment with native conceptions, which I argue similar to what Baldwin (1906) called sembling. Hence, it can be considered an active imitation of otherness` viewpoint in order to approach indigenous worlds. It is supposed that this procedure leads to the emergence of new symbolic elements configuring the cultural action field of each agency in interaction. It is proposed that ""making-believe`` the Amerindian is convergent with the dialogic-hermeneutic approach of semiotic-cultural constructivism. As a result of the present integrative effort, is designed a meta-model that multiplies the genetic process of concrete symbolic objects.

Reliability, Validity and Classification Accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen in a Brazilian Sample

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity and classification accuracy of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) in a sample of the Brazilian population. Participants in this study were drawn from three sources: 71 men and women from the general population interviewed at a metropolitan train station; 116 men and women encountered at a bingo venue; and 54 men and women undergoing treatment for gambling. The SOGS and a DSM-IV-based instrument were applied by trained researchers. The internal consistency of the SOGS was 0.75 according to the Cronbach`s alpha model, and construct validity was good. A significant difference among groups was demonstrated by ANOVA (F ((2.238)) = 221.3, P < 0.001). The SOGS items and DSM-IV symptoms were highly correlated (r = 0.854, P < 0.01). The SOGS also presented satisfactory psychometric properties: sensitivity (100), specificity (74.7), positive predictive rate (60.7), negative predictive rate (100) and misclassification rate (0.18). However, a cut-off score of eight improved classification accuracy and reduced the rate of false positives: sensitivity (95.4), specificity (89.8), positive predictive rate (78.5), negative predictive rate (98) and misclassification rate (0.09). Thus, the SOGS was found to be reliable and valid in the Brazilian population.

Sexual abuse victimisation and perpetration in a cohort of men living with HIV/AIDS who have sex with women from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Sexual abuse leads to physical harm and devastating psychosocial consequences. It increases risk of HIV transmission and is associated with risky behaviour. Little is known about sexual abuse victimisation (SAV) and perpetration (SAP) among HIV-positive men who have sex with women (MSW). We investigated self-reported SAV and SAP among 242 Brazilian MSW selected at HIV care centres. Patients were questioned about sociodemographic data, mode of HIV acquisition, sexual practices, drug use and history of SAV or SAP. Prevalence of outcomes was estimated and risk factors for SAP investigated by logistic regression. Fifty-eight (24.1%) interviewees reported SAV. Of patients abused before 15 years of age, 64.3% reported events before the age of ten. Aggressors included relatives, friends and teachers. Among those victimised after 15 years old, 57.7% described events before 17 and 38.5% had acquainted aggressors. Fourteen (5.8%) interviewees reported SAP and most knew their victims. Sexual abuse perpetration was associated with lower schooling, marital status, illicit drug use and self-reported SAV. Sexual abuse was frequently reported by MSW from this cohort. Identifying predictors of violence and addressing SAV and SAP in comprehensive HIV care may help reduce violent behaviour, psychological distress and contribute to maximise benefits of preventive and care interventions.

Employability, Changes and Psychosociological Demands on Work

This article presents some reflections on the `employability` construct, based on the ""Empregabilidade: Versoes e implicacoes. Uma leitura desde a Psicologia Social"" research project. Its history is presented first as an instrumental notion implying several meanings, all oriented towards holding people responsible for entering, staying at or leaving jobs. This reflection includes, beyond individualization, questions about visible or invisible actors involved in labor markets and in the definition of its criteria and rules. Interfaces with the academic world and formation devices are also discussed, as well as demands for Human Resources personnel and practices. Finally, questions about the psychosocial implications of the phenomenon are presented.

The complex construction of psychological identities in Palestine: Integrating narratives and life experiences

Palestinian youth is challenged by multiple discourses in the process of constitution of its identity. This discursive multiplicity, characteristic of contemporary global societies, is confronted with personal life experiences, giving meaning to primarily nebulous affective impacts in the social environment. Starting from a semiotic-cultural perspective in cultural psychology one can establish a link between the notion of master narrative used by Hammack (2010) and the notion of myth-using the conception of ideology as a bridge that articulates both. Antinomies in the self-biographic narratives presented and discussed by Hammack (2010) support the master narrative of Palestinian identity and enter into interactions with other psychological identities of the interviewed youngsters, such as their religious tradition and secular education. Symbolic elements that are brought to the identity-making process by the diverse narratives are to be seen as resources for the comprehension of life experiences, demanding an integrative effort in the face of what is known and unknown in relation to alterity.

Rituals and Knowledge Construction: Ethical Dilemmas on Creating Oppositions

What is knowledge construction for? Mesopotamian rituals were practiced in order to grasp the future and guide war strategies. Nowadays, scientific rules are developed to avoid mysticism-constructing more accurate laws to explain the reality. Both rituals and science were, and usually are, grounded in a conception that to know is to decipher the correct meaning behind the expressive relief of the world. Contemporary studies on anthropology have shown that the opposition between nature and culture is the basis of a number of problems in human sciences aiming to comprehend the intricate relation between body and violence and overcome ethical dilemmas.

Construção e Evidências Psicométricas de uma Escala de Avaliação da Percepção Visual

Este estudo teve como objetivo construir e conhecer os parâmetros psicométricos de um instrumento para análise da percepção visual de adultos. Para a construção da escala participaram 295 adultos saudáveis, sem déficits cognitivos ou perceptivo-visuais. Nesta etapa foi formulada uma escala tetrafatorial constituída por 20 itens que avaliam quatro dimensões referentes à percepção visual: constância da forma, figurafundo, posição e relação espacial. Para obter evidências de validade foi utilizada uma amostra de 183 voluntários com boa saúde física e mental e acuidade visual normal ou corrigida. Os dados obtidos relatam a existência de concordância interjuízes, adequação semântica e significância no teste-reteste do instrumento. Os coeficientes de fidedignidade variaram de 0,84 a 0,93. Os quatro fatores esperados foram encontrados, cada um contendo 5 itens, e juntos explicaram 57,52% da variância do constructo. O instrumento apresentou parâmetros psicométricos adequados, o que pode justificar sua utilidade em pesquisas básicas e na prática clínica.

Construção e Validação da Escala de Imprevisibilidade Familiar na Infância (EIFI)

Este estudo teve o objetivo de construir e validar uma medida psicológica denominada de Escala de Imprevisibilidade Familiar na Infância (EIFI) para a população brasileira. Participaram 394 pessoas, sendo 158 adultos em conflito com a lei que já haviam passado pela prisão (média de idade=34,23 anos; DP=10,17), 122 estudantes universitários (M=19,26; DP=2,06) e 114 mulheres com idade superior a 40 anos e escolaridade a partir de ensino médio (M=51,19; DP=8,64). Foram conduzidos procedimentos de validade de conteúdo, face e construto. A análise fatorial gerou como produto um instrumento com estrutura de quatro dimensões (cuidado/apoio, recursos financeiros, alimentação e disciplina) com índices de confiabilidade satisfatórios para todas elas. Concluímos que a EIFI foi validada para a população brasileira apresentando-se no cenário nacional como um instrumento para medida de imprevisibilidade familiar na infância.

Interactive Processes among Babies at a Daycare Center

The paper presents a study regarding babies' interactive processes with peers, which aimed to apprehend some of their qualitative aspects, considering babies' peculiarities. An empirical work was conducted with video recording scenes and interviews, regarding the "Babies' Adaptation to a Daycare Center" project, which followed up 21 babies (4-13 months) at a daycare center. Data analysis was based on the Network of Meanings perspective. Five episodes are here presented regarding three focal subjects and their peers. Analysis indicates the occurrence of interactions; among them it can be highlighted the role of the glance, presence of triadic relations (even among babies younger than nine months old), abbreviation of communicative resources and empathy. Moreover, despite verbal language absence at this age, it was verified meaning processes. Some practical-theoretical implications are pointed out as well.

The Clinical Case as a Basis for Research in Fundamental Psychopathology

(The Clinical Case as a Basis for Research in Fundamental Psychopathology) This article discusses aspects that hinder the process of drawing up clinical cases and stresses their importance for research in fundamental psychopathology. The author bases her thinking on several texts by Freud and his followers about the technique and the interpretation of dreams. In these texts, clinical cases are used to express a problem that must be investigated. The grounds for research follow the same logic as that used for interpreting dreams.

Contextual Reading and Metalinguistic Processing in Brazilian Portuguese: A Longitudinal Study

Metalinguistic skill is the ability to reflect upon language as an object of thought. Amongst metalinguistic skills, two seem to be associated with reading and spelling: morphological awareness and phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the ability of reflecting upon the phonemes that compose words, and morphological awareness is the ability of reflecting upon the morphemes that compose the words. The latter seems to be particularly important for reading comprehension and contextual reading, as beyond phonological information, syntactic and semantic information are required. This study is set to investigate - with a longitudinal design - the relation between those abilities and contextual reading measured by the Cloze test. The first part of the study explores the relationship between morphological awareness tasks and Cloze scores through simple correlations and, in the second part, the specificity of such relationship was inquired using multiple regressions. The results give some support to the hypothesis that morphological awareness offers an independent contribution regarding phonological awareness to contextual reading in Brazilian Portuguese.

Quality of life among Brazilian women living with HIV/AIDS

The purpose of the present study was to assess quality of life (QoL) in Brazilian women living with HIV/AIDS, according to the World Health Organization Quality of Life HIV-BREF (WHOQoL-HIV-BREF) domains. A quantitative-based, cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out in healthcare centers specialized in assisting people living with HIV/AIDS, located in a municipality of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. One hundred and six women of age 18 years or more, users of the public healthcare system, participated in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were collected using a specific questionnaire. Quality of life related variables were collected by means of the WHOQoL-HIV-BREF instrument. As per the QoL domains, study results show that the Spirituality domain reached a standardized mean score of 65.7, followed by the Physical (64.7), Psychological (60.6), Social Relationships (59.5), Independence (58.6), and Environment (54.5) domains. Results of the multiple regression analysis indicate that the women's employment or retirement, income greater than the minimum wage, and higher educational level were associated with a higher standardized mean score of QoL. However, recent HIV/AIDS diagnosis and exposure to antiretroviral agents for a period shorter than two years were negatively associated with QoL. It is critical that public policies favor an all-embracing social inclusion of these women, thus promoting better social conditions. Counseling, clinical follow-up immediately after the infection diagnosis, and initiation of antiretroviral treatment are crucial moments in the lives of these individuals.

The Mother-Daughter Relationship in Eating Disorders: The Psychotherapy group of mothers

Psychotherapeutic interventions that bring about differentiation, separation, individuation and autonomy in the mother-daughter relationship are recommended as treatment for eating disorders. With this goal in mind, a psychotherapy group for mothers was organized in an outpatient program for adolescents with eating disorders at a public institution, as one of the psychotherapeutic approaches in the multidisciplinary treatment of adolescent patients. Evidence suggests that this approach can be relevant and effective in the treatment of eating disorders.