"HANDS TIED" – STRATEGIES FOR MEDIATION OF THE SUFFERING OF ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN THE BRAZILIAN FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE

Abstract

Organizational and work psychologists have a strong potential to contribute to workers' health, given the nature of their activity. Despite this, the literature lacks investigations on their subjective work experience. The objective of this study was to analyze their strategies of mediation of suffering in the face of the resistance of the real of work. A qualitative research was carried out through semi-structured interviews with nine organizational and work psychologists working in Brazilian federal agencies. The data were submitted to content analysis based on two theoretical categories arising from the psychodynamics of Dejours' work, which guided the study. The results demonstrate that POT servers are in a defensive movement, significantly adapted and, to some extent, contributing to the adaptation of the others. Denial and rationalization are the most used defense strategies, in addition to the search for support in the collective and the use of jokes in the workplace. To face reality, they use practical intelligence to transgress and divert from the direct attendance of the impositions of the organization of work; they collaborate with each other much more to resist than to transform the elements of the organization of work that give rise to suffering; they use the public space to exchange and find solutions, without rebelling against the potentially sickening elements of the organization of work. In addition, the recognition of beauty by peers is incipient, with a greater record of recognition of usefulness by managers and clients. Subjective mobilization appears limited by managerial precariousness and, thus, the strengthening of work collectives for a counterpsychology that confronts the managerialism that crosses contemporary work is called.