Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão
Print version ISSN 1414-9893
FURTADO, Odair. 50 years of Psychology in Brazil: the social construction of a profession. Psicol. cienc. prof. [online]. 2012, vol.32, n.spe, pp. 66-85. ISSN 1414-9893. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1414-98932012000500006.
The imperial occupations, this is the way Edmundo Campos Coelho, a sociologist, names the occupations (engineer, doctor and lawyer) that were constituted and that were the first ones to be regulated from 1822 on, in the beginning of the Brazilian imperial period and the regulation of the Brazilian's life after the political rupture with the metropolis.This analysis interests us for it helps us to understand how psychology constituted its own institutionalization and how it finds social space to advance as an occupation which is considered important and necessary for the many fields in which it is put into action. No occupation can survive if it is not considered socially relevant and required by the population. From this point of view, what's the social importance of psychology and what is its immediate future in Brazil, considering that we are now surpassing the number of 200 thousand psychologists who are registered in the Federal Psychology Council (who are able to work)? That means that we have reached the amount of attendance the World Health Organization considers appropriated for our population. We have enough psychologists to attend our population in the health, work, education, justice, media and in so many other areas where this professional is required. Is this enough for what the class entities of the occupation intend? The population who is attended recognizes the importance of the occupation? These subjects indicate the organizative condition we have today, 50 years after the regulamentation of the occupation. This level of organization and work indicates the maturity of the professional field and also that there is a lot to build. There's a song that says that “if it is worthwhile what has been done, it's more valuable what will come”. We'll discuss now what the future will bring us and what is the efficiency of this occupatio.
Keywords : History of psychology; 50 years of psychology; Social construction of psychology.