Brazilian Psychologists Research Articles

An Invitation to Travel in an Interethnic Arena: Listening Carefully to Amerindian Leaders' Speeches.

In this article, we identify usual difficulties faced by Brazilian psychologists when dealing with Amerindian Peoples, concerning the systematic violence experienced by those Peoples, who have been suffering and fighting against a process of genocide and ethnocide. To identify those difficulties, we analysed speeches of Amerindian leaders of the State of São Paulo - Guarani Mbya, Pankararu, Xavante, Baniwa, Tupi- Guarani, Terena, Kaingang and Krenak - which were addressed to psychologists. Those speeches were delivered in events promoted by CRP-SP in 2010 and in the 2nd and 3rd Forums "The Amerindian presence in São Paulo" at the Institute of Psychology (USP), in 2014. From the analysis, we make a distinction between the notions of meeting and dialogical encounter, considering that: 1. not every meeting is an encounter, in the dialogical sense, because the meeting can happen in a way that one of the interlocutors is objectified by the other and 2. being together and building an affective ground is an a priori for the dialogical encounter to happen. Based on the leaderships` speeches and in the notions of Amerindian perspectivism and the phenomenology of alterity in Cultural Psychology, we propose alternative paths to understand constitutive aspects of a dialogical meeting in such interethnic situation. These reflections are proposed as a theoretic-empirical work, as it departs from the comprehension that the theoretical problems are not separated from the concrete situation that enables them to emerge.

Family Resources and Flourishing at Work: The Role of Core Self-Evaluations

Abstract: According to the Work-Home Resources Model, contextual family resources increase personal resources, which, in turn, improve work outcomes. The present study investigated the direct effects of two contextual family resources (work- family enrichment and perceived social support from family) and one personal resource (core self-evaluations) on a work outcome (flourishing at work). The mediational role of core self-evaluations in these relationships was also investigated. The sample was composed of 519 Brazilian psychologists of both sexes. The Structural Equation Modeling showed that the contextual family resources and the personal resource predicted flourishing at work and that core self-evaluations mediated the relationships between contextual resources and flourishing at work. It was concluded that the acquisition of resources within the family and the positive evaluation of one’s own life can promote flourishing at work.

Improving Accident Statistics and Expanding the Role of Traffic Psychologists in Brazil

Abstract Due to the mandatory assessment of psychological fitness to drive of prospective drivers, Brazil has a relatively large amount of traffic psychologists. Since, in general, assessment only happens upon first licensing, the task of these psychologists is fairly limited (as is the scope of the assessment itself). Intention and method: this study aims to perform a critical analysis of possibilities to expand the role of psychologists working in the traffic system in Brazil. A systematic review study of databases and international documents was conducted and a scope of activity of psychologists in this area was built. First result statistical data is scattered over many agencies. First conclusion in order to better identify specific tendencies and risk groups in Brazil, statistical data related to accident involvement needs to be better, perhaps centrally, coordinated and consolidated. Second result international research related to three subgroups of drivers that constitute a significantly increased safety risk can inform future directions for traffic psychology in Brazil. Psychological processes that may underlie these risk increases are discussed. Second conclusion two subgroups (young drivers and aggressive drivers) could benefit from more than assessment, they could benefit from specific psychological interventions. The third subgroup (elderly drivers) is expected to increase significantly in the future, which asks for clearer policies, with a significant input form psychologists and psychological research.

REDES EM CONEXÃO COM A TEORIA ATOR-REDE NA PSICOLOGIA NO BRASIL

RESUMO O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar alguns usos da Teoria Ator-Rede (TAR) por psicólogos no Brasil. Para tanto, elegemos como foco analítico artigos indexados no Qualis Capes da Psicologia, observando os seguintes aspectos: temas afins; materialidades envolvidas; metodologias; estratégias de análises. Concluímos que a TAR é utilizada desde 1997 em publicações na área da Psicologia e em especial na subárea Psicologia Social, com questionamentos às bases epistemológicas advindas da tradição científica experimentalista moderna e, principalmente, problematizando a centralidade do ser humano como foco e origem do conhecimento. Bruno Latour, John Law e Annemarie Mol foram os principais autores utilizados nos artigos analisados. A introdução da teoria se deu por meio de duas redes de pesquisa: Rio de Janeiro associada à parceria UFF, UERJ e UFRJ e, em São Paulo, parceria PUC/SP e UAB/Barcelona.

Negro Art in Brazil

In this article, first published in 1949, the Brazilian medical graduate and social psychologist Arthur Ramos de Araújo Pereira investigates the broad impact of Western African art on European and Latin American cultures, and in particular the impact of African sculpture in Brazil. He argues against the easy assumption of the white élites that the black population, forcibly sold into slavery in Brazil, was too “primitive” to nurture religiosity, art, or culture worthy of the name. On the basis of earlier writings on African art by scholars such as Leo Frobenius, Andrew Lang, Marshall Herskovits, and Raimundo Nina Rodrigues, Ramos analyzes the ritual significance of Afro-Brazilian idols and magical artifacts in relation both to their source cultures in Africa and to the host culture in Brazil.

A questionnaire for measuring presence in virtual environments: factor analysis of the presence questionnaire and adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese

The increasing use of virtual reality (VR) environments in different domains of research and psychotherapy offers advantages over traditional treatment approaches. However, in order to feel immersed and involved by the VR experience, participants require VR scenarios that promote the subjective feeling of “being there,” i.e., presence. The most utilized mean of operationalization of presence is through self-report scales and questionnaires. This article aims to report the translation and adaptation of the presence questionnaire (PQ) into Brazilian Portuguese, comparing the factorial distribution of the adapted version with the original PQ. Translation and back-translations were conducted by a team of Brazilian psychologists and computer science professionals with experience on the field. Participants (n = 100) answered the Brazilian version of the questionnaire after wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) and driving a virtual automobile in a VR scenario. The principal component analysis of the translated version generated factors consistently with the original study; however, items that had equivocal construct adequacy in the original PQ changed factors. The factor structure of the PQ is discussed. The growing use of VR environments requires instruments assessing the presence of immersed individuals, and the Brazilian Portuguese version of the PQ appears to be a viable option.

The Group as a Source of Development: Rethinking Professional Development in a Collaborative Perspective

Since the later decades of the 20th century, Brazilian psychologists have been questioning a theoretical and interventional model in educational contexts, which consider psychological phenomena apart from their cultural contexts, in order to develop an approach based on a contextualized viewpoint. Despite progress having been made in educational psychology, as a result of this critical paradigm, this area still has problems to overcome: Psychologists are becoming increasingly separate from schools, and it is now common to find psychologists who are professionally unprepared to perform in this context and furthermore, school principals do not always understand the role of psychologists in educational settings. However, educational demands exist in psychologists’ daily work in a range of contexts, indicating the relevance of this field and the urgency to improve psychologists' qualifications. Considering that Brazilian professional development programs for educators and psychologists are usually restricted to technical learning, often ignoring professionals’ real needs and claims, this research aimed to develop a special type of professional development program looking at the group as a source of development, in order to rethink professional development process from within a collaborative perspective. Research data was generated from a professional development program offered for psychologists and professionals who work within educational settings. This programme involved collaborative group work and was organized and conducted in such a way as to create conditions for change. Concepts of cultural-historical theory – social situation of development, crisis and perezhivanie – were used as analytic tools for data analysis. Analysis indicated the importance of the group as a source of development through dialogue and the co-construction of new ideas and possibilities.

Percepções dos psicopedagogos clínicos relativas aos casos de dificuldades de aprendizagem escolar

A Psicopedagogia surge da necessidade de uma melhor compreensão do processo da aprendizagem humana, investigando e propondo estratégias em relação às dificuldades de aprendizagem ocorridas no processo de aquisição do conhecimento. A Psicopedagogia tem como meta compreender a complexidade dos múltiplos fatores envolvidos o processo da aprendizagem humana. A Psicopedagogia como área interdisciplinar de conhecimento e de atuação prática pode posicionar-se frente à dificuldades de aprendizagem escolar. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em nove clínicas e em um hospital que faziam diagnósticos e intervenções psicopedagógicas. Os participantes foram 10 psicopedagogas. Dentre estas, seis possuem formação em Pedagogia e quatro em Psicologia. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados compreenderam entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas através de um roteiro contendo 13 perguntas. O presente estudo buscou referências em teóricos da Psicopedagogia como Paín (1985, 1992, 1998), Visca (1987, 1991, 1996, 1998), Fernandez (1990, 2001), Bossa (1994, 2000a, 2000b), Fonseca (1995), além dos educadores Piaget (1973, 1998) e Vygotsky (1989), entre outros renomados teóricos da área Psicopedagógica e da Educação. Os resultados demonstram que a maior causa das queixas básicas durante a procura por atendimento psicopedagógico e o baixo rendimento escolar; a escola é quem mais indica os alunos ao atendimento; a faixa etária de maior atendimento é de 6 a 12 anos de idade; 80% dos clientes pertencem a classe social média-alta; a maioria das hipóteses diagnósticas ocorrem devido à falta de acompanhamento familiar e de metodologias e/ou didáticas inadequadas por parte da escola; existe boa aceitação das escolas em relação às intervenções psicopedagógicas; muitos casos são confundidos pela escola e pela família como distúrbios e/ou problemas de aprendizagem, mas a maioria dos diagnósticos psicopedagógicos são de dificuldades escolares reativas derivadas de dificuldades de ensino desde a educação infantil.

Desenvolvimento de protocolos para acompanhamento de psicoterapia pela Internet

A psicoterapia pela Internet so e permitida a psicologos do Brasil na forma de pesquisa, o que pode ser interpretado como um incentivo ao seu estudo. O objetivo deste estudo foi apresentar dois protocolos de acompanhamento de psicoterapia online desenvolvidos no Programa de Pos Graduacao em Psicologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. No Estudo I, 8 psicologas ofereceram 12 sessoes de psicoterapia psicanalitica a 24 pacientes: (n=12) via Skype e (n=12) presencial. As medias altas no Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) e o decrescimo significativo nos escores do Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45) nos dois grupos indicaram uma alianca terapeutica forte e resultados positivos em ambos os tipos de tratamento. Os temas definidos na analise tematica de entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupo focal – presenca, confianca, conexao, compreensao e participacao do paciente – assinalaram uma relacao terapeutica online positiva na percepcao de terapeutas e pacientes. No estudo II, individuos (n=21) que receberam uma intervencao cognitivo-comportamental computadorizada para transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (TOC) mostraram-se satisfeitos com o programa e apresentaram diminuicao nos escores da secao obsessiva do Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Tambem foi encontrada uma diferenca estatisticamente significativa na escala subjetiva de sintomas do TOC, tendo havido diminuicao entre os modulos 1 e 2 e 2 e 3 do programa. A conclusao e a de que os Estudos I e II indicam possibilidades sobre de que maneira a psicoterapia online pode ser oferecida no Brasil e que resultados podem ser esperados.Palavras-chave: psicoterapia, tratamento, Internet, resultados.

Pathways to Internationalize Brazilian Journals of Psychology

The science of psychology has been developing in the country of Brazil over the last 50 years. Nonetheless, most of the science in this field is published only in Brazilian journals. Overall, Brazil has yet to share its science with the international community. The potential to internationalize the science generated by Brazilian psychologists exists, though. One way would be to scale up the publication of Brazilian psychologists in international journals. Another way would be to internationalize the existing Brazilian journals. With regard to the latter possibility, a metric analysis of scientometrics databases suggests that the reasons for the low impact of articles published in Brazilian journals are manifold, but the low performance is mainly explained by the scarce employment of the lingua franca-English language-in the articles. This article discusses the role that SciELO, a Brazilian scientific publisher, has played in indexing and assisting the best Brazilian psychology journals in raising their horizons, in terms of internationalizing their output, while at the same time serving as an instrument of promotion for national studies of psychology within the country of Brazil.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy in the general hospital: review of Brazilian literature

The utilization of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions in the general hospital has been subject of interest to Brazilian psychologists because of its theoretical and practical features. This study investigated the national scientific production through a bibliometric and bibliographic review of Brazilian studies on CBT in the general hospital. Articles searched in the databases: Virtual Health Library (VHL-BIREME), Lilacs, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scielo, published from 2003 up to 2013, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, using specific descriptors. After applying the exclusion criteria, 20 empirical articles and 8 revisions were included. We identified the main themes discussed in the literature reviews by Brazilian researchers. The bibliometric results of empirical studies have indicated that most studies used quasi-experimental designs, group interventions, targeting for patients with specific diseases and the most used technique is psycho-education. Empirical studies presented good results for the reduction of the symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, and encourage greater adherence to medical treatment and to promote the development of coping strategy to hospitalization. CBT appears to be an applicable psychological approach with good results in the general hospital in Brazil, suggesting further research on the topic.

Características da Psicologia do Trabalho e das Organizações na Formação do Psicólogo no Brasil

Work and Organizational Psychology’s Characteristics in the Brazilian Undergraduate Education in Psychology This paper aims to analyse the presence of Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP) in the Brazilian psychological training after the changes brought about by new National Curricular Guidelines. A convenience sample of 43 pedagogical projects from public and private higher education institutions throughout Brazil was submitted to a documental analysis. As results, WOP was found to be mentioned in 41 courses, specifically in the context of graduates’ student profiles and their training as psychologists. All the courses require students to enroll in at least one class in WOP, which is equivalent to 10% of the total training workload. The analysis showed that WOP is related to discussions concerning quality of life and worker health in such contexts as organizations, public policies and unions. In addition to recovering a wide thematic diversity, the findings suggest that WOP has an important place in the training of psychologists in Brazil.

Dificuldades em Avaliação Psicológica Segundo Psicólogos Brasileiros

Psychological assessment (AP) is inserted relevantly in many diagnostic and intervention contexts, increasing its recognition as an important and necessary practice. However, problems concerning quality of training, use of instruments and psychologist performance, worry professionals and society, reflecting on ethical issues. Efforts by groups and institutions have sought to improve and develop AP. Aiming to investigate the difficulties encountered in the practice of AP, an online survey was conducted with 644 Brazilian psychologists. The results suggest that psychologists who work in traditional contexts, such as clinical, school, occupational and professional, perceive fewer difficulties comparing to professionals in the social, forensic, traffic and health contexts. The main difficulties are related to problems in dealing with customers, staff and conditions of time and space.

Relações de Gênero e a Atuação de Psicólogos na Oncologia: Subsídios para a Saúde Masculina

Cancer has been considered a problem of public health with the highest mortality ratings among the male population. This paper aims to identify and analyze the report of psychologists about the specialized attention towards the male public in the field of oncology. According to the Descriptive and Exploratory Research and the Gender Studies’ perspective, a semi-structured questionnaire was elaborated and it was answered by 113 Brazilian psychologists. Through the answers, the lack of specific actions to the male public was observed in comparison to the recognition of the specific women’s necessity. The interviewed ones pointed out the difficulties that men have to join the psychology services with the oncological treatment, exposing implications from the social-cultural and institutional aspects. The results points to the process of genderization of the health institutions and the necessity to include the theme of masculinity in the ambit of SUS.

Psicoterapia pela Internet: viável ou inviável?

A psicoterapia pela internet é uma prática que, no Brasil, só é permitida aos psicólogos na forma de pesquisa. O objetivo do presente artigo foi realizar uma revisão dos estudos em psicoterapia pela internet, discorrendo sobre os recursos e os limites desse atendimento psicológico e suas implicações para a relação terapêutica e para a efetividade do tratamento. São apresentadas questões legais e éticas concernentes à prática. Os resultados apontaram similaridades entre a relação terapêutica online e a presencial, mostrando-se a psicoterapia pela internet efetiva nas mais distintas modalidades, embora a maioria dos estudos seja sobre intervenções cognitivo-comportamentais. As questões legais e éticas podem ser parcialmente solucionadas com diretrizes claras das organizações profissionais e com o treino de terapeutas na modalidade online. Concluímos que a psicoterapia pela internet, embora requeira maiores estudos, anuncia-se como uma prática viável e promissora.

Intelligence assessment of deaf students with TONI 3

The intelligence assessment of deaf and hard-of-hearing students has been a challenge for Brazilian psychologists, due to the lack of standardized and validated instruments for this population. The objective of this study was to assess the intelligence of deaf and hard-of-hearing students with the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Third Edition (TONI-3: Forma A) according to external variables: age, education, gender, type of deafness, use of hearing aid and communication mode. Study participants were 205 deaf students of both genders, with an average age of 14 years, from four public schools, ranging from elementary to middle school. Results showed no significant differences between subjects according to gender, type of deafness and communication mode. There was an increase in test scores with increasing age, grade and differences between students that used hearing aids. Thus, the findings demonstrate the validity of the TONI-3 to assess the intelligence of Brazilian deaf students.

E-Learning of Genetic Counseling and Basic Genetics for Psychologists in Brazil

This study describes the development of a learning process of genetic counseling and basic genetics using an e-learning model and its application to a group of psychologists in the state of Parana in southern Brazil. The aim was to analyze the impact on the increase of knowledge in the presented subjects and the possibility of applying this project on a larger scale. The results of two observations were compared. The observations consisted of scores on the same exams, applied before and after taking the course. Results indicated that the remote education process is indeed a viable alternative for genetic counseling education and is validated for application in large scale together with Centers for Family Health Care Assistance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health Care.

Psicólogo na rede pública de educação: embates dentro e fora da própria profissão

O presente trabalho visou aprofundar um debate que vem crescendo dentre os psicólogos brasileiros a respeito da sua inserção nas políticas públicas educacionais. Em 2008, o Conselho Federal de Psicologia conduziu um amplo debate nacional sobre essa questão com os diferentes conselhos regionais. Os debates e as discussões resultantes desses encontros foram sistematizados e apresentados no Seminário Nacional do Ano da Educação em 2009. Com base nos relatórios apresentados, este estudo organiza o que foi registrado, focalizando a identificação de problemas e perspectivas necessárias à inserção do profissional nos processos de formular e avaliar as políticas educacionais, bem como de trabalhar no sistema público. Os registros foram organizados em três categorias: Psicologia Escolar e Educacional - formação e pesquisa em políticas públicas; Psicólogo escolar e educacional - inserção e participação nas políticas públicas educacionais; e Inserção do psicólogo no contexto público educacional - dilemas e perspectivas.

Scientific concepts and public policies: Semiotic-cultural obstacles concerning intergroup and intercultural relationships

I attempt to articulate Jahoda’s (2012) critical reflections regarding definitions of culture in recent cross-cultural studies and Moghaddam’s (2012) claims of an omnicultural imperative to guide the elaboration of public policies for managing relationships among human groups from different cultural origins. For this, I will approach some aspects of the socio-historical and ontogenetic roots of the notion of culture. The notion of culture and the consequent public policies involving intercultural managing are being transformed as our global society develops. It has been proposed that some ways of dealing with the culture of the other are crucial to achieve awareness in respect of one’s own cultural positioning when making science and attempting social interventions. Finally, the experience of Brazilian psychologists working on challenges faced by Amerindians dealing with the national society they live in will be presented as a pioneering work aiming to interfere in the development of public policies ethically concerned with the assurance of cultural integrity of currently marginalized social groups.

Alguns apontamentos sobre a trajetória da Psicologia social comunitária no Brasil

Este artigo aborda a trajetória da Psicologia social comunitária no Brasil tomando como material privilegiado de análise os anais dos encontros nacionais da Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social (ABRAPSO). O objetivo foi o de historiar os argumentos produzidos por autores da PSC em busca de uma identidade para a área. A análise buscou evidenciar a especificidade da PSC, os objetivos de suas intervenções e a noção de comunidade. Tomamos os anais dos encontros nacionais da ABRAPSO como fonte principal pela importância da associação na produção de dispositivos conceituais e de novas formas de atuação profissional dos psicólogos no Brasil. Concluímos o trabalho indicando a ênfase na diferença e na oposicão entre uma psicologia latino e norte-americana como recurso estratégico de afirmação identitária da área. Apontamos a importância do trabalho em comunidade para a renovação das práticas do psicólogo no Brasil e para a relativa carência de reflexão conceitual sobre a noção de comunidade.