A interface psicologia social e saúde: perspectivas e desafios

Abstract

The aim of this paper is, first, to research ideas, values and discourses mediating the health practices and the biomedical model of health, and, second, to investigate the difficulties Psychology has had for being considered an intervention approach in this area, from a critical psychosocial perspective. Although the bio-psychosocial model has been widely mentioned during the last decades, the practice in this field has privileged a biological aetiology, a fragmented conception of health and the enforcing and normalizing features from the positivist conception of science. The relevance of social, psychological and ecological aspects mediating the health-illness process is generally forgotten. The main issue is that the biomedical model continues to be accepted by the socio economical system, conditioning a fragmented, individualistic and de-contextualised conception of behaviours and actions related to health and illness. Thus it is necessary a permanent deconstructing process about the actual way of dealing with science in this area. This implies a critical revision of the development of the meaning process related with health and illness, the training of health professionals, as well as the public health structure and the assistance models implemented historically, implicitly or explicitly, addressed to the poor people. This also presupposes a permanent self-critical position in relation to our participation in these processes as professionals.