Memorandum: Memory and History in Psychology
Periódico de publicação contínua sobre história e memória da psicologia.
The works published in the electronic journal Memorandum: Memory and history in Psychology are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows sharing with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Paths of Saulo de Freitas Araujo’s Philosophical History of Psychology
The way Saulo de Freitas Araujo (1971-2024) dedicated himself to the fields of the History and Philosophy of Psychology represents a commendable effort and a significant legacy for these areas, both within and outside Brazil. His work as a professor and his published work provides a rich and vast reference for professionals in these fields. One year after his death, this text aims to pay tribute to his memory and intellectual legacy. Starting with the question of why a philosophical history of psychology (PHP) is important, we seek to present fundamental aspects of his proposal, which integrates the History of Psychology with a "philosophical spirit," as well as to highlight its impact on the training of psychology professionals and historians of psychology.
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The aim of this paper is to analyze how the theoretical, epistemological and methodological tools of the History of Psychology constitute a way of academic literacy. To this end, we will work on a qualitative documental analysis on a particular case: Psychology I, an initial subject in the Psychology degree courses at the National University of La Plata in Argentina that incorporates academic literacy as a central problem. Among the theoretical pillars of the course, we highlight the plurality of Psychology seen in the polyphony of its texts and the historical-critical perspective that, with contributions from feminist epistemologies, addresses the socio-historical conditions of the production of knowledge. History of Psychology teaching, thanks to the double inscription of the teaching body as teachers and researchers, transforms the methodological challenges inherent to research into novel pedagogical resources for students who are starting out in disciplinary literacy practices.
Formação e ensino de História da Psicologia em países ibero-americanos
Teaching History of Psychology in Argentina
With the aim of contributing to the history of psychology teaching in psychology programs, this paper explores historical, epistemological, institutional and pedagogical problems that arise when planning a course. As a case study, we describe the required undergraduate course of the Degree in Psychology at the National University of San Luis, Argentina. This description is framed in international debates on the relevance of teaching the history of psychology and in the regulations of the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation – CONEAU from Argentina. From there, dialogues are opened with some of the current approaches in the historiography of psychology, both national and international.
The Master game as an evaluation activity in the History of Psychology discipline
The objective is to present an evaluation proposal for the History of Psychology courses of the Psychology program at a public university. It is a game, the Master, considering the framework of Active Teaching Methodologies. The data were extracted from three sources: a) the central object of the game, its challenge cards produced by the students; b) observations of the class during the game; c) student self-evaluation at the end of the semester. Regarding the results, the activity stimulated investigative processes, promoted reflective analysis on the various topics studied and, by involving teamwork, contributed to the formation of affective bonds. Among the evaluations given by the students, they recognized that, when involved in a competition, they were more interested in participating in classes and debates, as well as posing questions and arguments.
Towards a decolonial feminist epistemology and history for Psychology
This article problematizes the consolidation of a decolonial feminist stance in the academic-political transmission of the history and epistemology of Psychology for undergraduate courses. The academic, political and institutional trajectory of the author is taken as a detailed study of the complexities that inhabit theoretical and practical training in fields such as Psychology and Decolonial Feminism. Towards a subversive critical position from the feminist project of the Global South, a proposal for a geopolitical understanding of society, subjectivity and, consequently, Psychology is presented. Then, through an intersectional theoretical-political stance, it is pointed out how gender, race, class, sexuality and territory forge and tension the project of Psychology as a science and profession. Finally, we defend an education in Psychology which supports the endless dispute that inhabits the conflicting historiographical, epistemological, theoretical-methodological, conceptual and ethical-political perspectives surrounding the study and intervention in the know-how of Psychology.
Training in the history of psychology at the Federal University of Alagoas
The aim of this paper is to describe the formation in history of psychology in an undergraduate Psychology course considering syllabi, recommended bibliographies and teaching plans referring to disciplines directly related to the history of psychology. Through teaching experience and the discussion of four Political-Pedagogical Projects of the Psychology Course (PPC) at the Federal University of Alagoas, published in 1998, 2006, 2013 and 2023, we reflect on the limits and possibilities of ways of approaching the history of psychology at undergraduate level. We argue that the change that occurred in 2023, establishing the History of Psychology discipline and the perspective of the social history of psychology as a teaching guide, unlike training based on the presentation of “schools” and “theoretical systems” proposed in other PPCs, contributes to critical formation and to expanding interest of students in the history of psychology.
Teaching the History of Psychology at UERJ
We aim to present in this paper the History of Psychology courses offered in the Psychology program at the State University of Rio de Janeiro and the practice of graduate students undertaking teaching internships. We provide a literature review on the history of graduate studies in Psychology in Brazil and the status of the History of Psychology in the country, not only as a field of study but also as a mandatory discipline in undergraduate programs. Finally, we share an account of a teaching internship experience, reflecting on the connections and divergences between undergraduate and graduate training in relation to the History of Psychology. We conclude that by reporting the experiences of a teaching intern and examining the structures of Brazilian graduate education, we understand the importance of historical disciplines in Psychology education, emphasizing the need for a contextualized and critical teaching preparation to overcome the limitations of graduate programs.
Study of epistemology in the domains of the historiography of psychology. Our object is the experimental psychology of Edward Titchener under the hypothesis that his research project contains its own epistemology within the framework of the history of psychology. Titchener's post-Titchenerian memory is then questioned, becoming the chapter of a historiography that placed him on the margins of modern psychology. The general objective is to carry out an epistemological examination of his experimental science. The specific objective aims at a historiographical restoration of the historical context of his scientific thought. To this end, we present a methodology in three levels of analysis: (i) historiographical reconstitution; (ii) epistemic reconstitution; (iii) prosopographical reconstitution of his discipline of experimental psychology. We seek to recapture the social role of one of the toughest epistemological obstacles in the history of psychology, which for this very reason would have driven the new paths of modern psychology.
Analysis of the psychological pillar of Lawrence Kohlberg's work and its legacy to Moral Psychology
The psychological pillar of Lawrence Kohlberg’s work, whose main product is his psychological theory on moral development, and its importance for the consolidation of Moral Psychology are analyzed. It starts with a diachronic analysis of his work, which divides it into four pillars: psychological, philosophical, educational and methodological. Choosing the psychological pillar, based on primary and secondary sources, we talk about the life and work he left and the relationship between both: his life project in search of a universal morality of justice, which guided his scope of research. The psychological pillar is detailed, highlighting the research that gave rise to it. Finally, it is argued about the foundation of the cognitive-evolutionary approach by Kohlberg based on this pillar and, consequently, the repercussion it had, globally, on the psychological study of morality, going so far as to consolidate Moral Psychology itself.
Schoolology, defined as the science of the school, is a proposal initiated by the Russian-Brazilian educator and psychologist Helena Antipoff, developed at the School for the Improvement of Teachers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, during the 1930s, whose object of study was the school and everything related to it. Through a documental study, the theoretical and methodological foundations that anchored the proposal were investigated: the perspective of the New Education movement, in which the child is considered the center of the pedagogical process; the psychology of the child; Edouard Claparède’s experimental pedagogy, and Alexander Lazursky’s method of natural experimentation. Antipoff has innovated by choosing the school as a psycho-sociological unit considered as a totality composed by multiple factors that, in interaction, could influence the students’ learning and developmental processes, such as the family, social, cultural and economic environment; the choice of teaching methods and the organization of school management. Schoolological studies introduced scientific methods of investigation into teacher education, aiming at making pedagogy an experimental science.
The paper discusses the different conceptions of word and soul in the cultural tradition of the Guarani and in the cultural tradition of the Jesuit missionaries who lived with them in Latin American territories, especially in the territories of the so-called Jesuit Province of Paraguay. To this end, sources produced by authors who lived with the native populations in different historical periods and gathered direct testimonies from them on the themes of the word and the soul were studied, on the one hand, and Jesuit sources on the subject, on the other. The analysis highlights the existence of profound differences between the conceptions of the Guarani and the Jesuits; the reciprocal appropriations; and also the similarities.
Diferentes perspectivas na recepção e apropriação das ideias piagetianas no contexto brasileiro
A obra recém-lançada The transnational legacy of Jean Piaget: a view from the 21st century, publicada pela editora Springer Nature, visa divulgar internacionalmente os estudos realizados pelo Centro de Documentação e Pesquisa Helena Antipoff (CDPHA), da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Organizado e editado por Regina Helena de Freitas Campos e Erika Lourenço (UFMG), em parceria com Marc J. Ratcliff (Université de Genève) o livro conta com 19 capítulos que exploram diversos aspectos da influência de Piaget. Entre os temas abordados, destacam-se: o método clínico para acompanhar e intervir nas demandas de crianças e adolescentes; o método histórico-crítico para analisar a interação entre fatores internos e externos na história da ciência; o direito à educação como base para o desenvolvimento intelectual e moral; a promoção da paz; e o multiculturalismo como ferramenta para facilitar a comunicação entre diferentes perspectivas.
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Margaret Archer aborda o conceito de pessoa humana no quadro da vexata quaestio das relações entre indivíduo e sociedade. Resumindo o problema: é a sociedade (formas sociais e instituições) que faz a pessoa humana ou é a pessoa que faz a sociedade? Esta questão dominou toda a teoria social desde o início da modernidade. Nas últimas décadas, o debate dividiu os acadêmicos entre aqueles inclinados a colocar em primeiro plano o livre agency da pessoa e aqueles que, em vez disso, deram o primeiro lugar às restrições das estruturas sociais; as duas soluções em certa medica foram mescladas, mas o resultado foi sempre um tanto nebuloso. A solução que Archer oferece é que nenhuma das respostas está correta, nem qualquer mescla das duas, porque elas não nos permitem compreender como ação e estrutura estão entrelaçadas. O desafio é compreender como e por que existe este emaranhado, ou melhor, vínculo, que preserva a autonomia tanto da pessoa (a sua liberdade) como das estruturas sociais (o seu poder condicionante), sem confundi-las.
Developments and perspectives of relational theory in the social sciences
Review of the book: Donati, P. (Org.). (2022). La teoria relazionale nelle scienze sociali: sviluppi e prospettive. Bologna, Italia: Il Mulino.
Based on a literature review, this paper aims to outline a historical and theoretical overview of the complex relationship between psychology, mental health and the Islamic religion. Revealed in the 7th century, Islam experienced, between the 8th and 14th centuries, its so-called Golden Age, a fruitful period for the development of various areas of science. Among them, we will highlight the contributions made by Muslims to psychology and psychiatry, as well as some psychological conceptions that arise from Islamic cosmology itself, put into action centuries later by Frantz Fanon in his psychiatric writings dating from the 1950s. It is argued that the knowledge of these silenced psychological ideas is in line with the decolonial discussion, an agenda that is especially pertinent if we consider the urgency of thinking about religion, the religious and the expansion of the place of religiosities-spiritualities in contemporary psychology.
Pierre Janet’s (1859-1947) ideas were very much debated at the beginning of the 20th century. The historiography values his contributions to psychopathology and, to a lesser extent, his debate with Freud. Few spaces approach his Psychology of Conduct, debated by important figures. This paper retrieves primary and secondary sources, presenting characteristics of his psychological project. Janetian psychological thought has a genetic and functionalist character, demonstrating the parts of the functioning of the mind as a recapitulation of the evolutionary history of the human species. The center of his theory is the behaviors, actions that incorporate elements of mental life, divided into animal, intellectual, average, and superior. Another concept is tendency, the disposition of the living organism to do a certain action. Despite the influence of his ideas on psychological theories, his lack of interest in founding a school and attracting pupils, coupled with his debate with Freud, led to Janet's ideas being perpetuated mainly indirectly.
This paper aims to identify, contextualize, and analyze the evidence and impact of Darwinian evolutionism in the work of Sigmund Freud, in the national specialized literature in the last two decades. A systematic review of the literature was carried out, in accordance to the PRISMA methodological guidelines, using selected keywords, which were later used in the research conducted in seven different databases. After selection, a final sample was made up of sixteen articles of relevance. According to the results, it is evidenced: Darwinian evolutionism as a resource in the writing of Freud's work; use of evolutionary history or phylogenetic history as justification for Freud's elaborations; Darwinian theory as a means for understanding the origin of symptoms and psychic states; use of the representative figure of Darwin.
The Community Social-Psychology School at the University of São Paulo (1970-2020)
In this paper we revisited the history of Community Social Psychology (PSC) in Brazil and analyzed the absence of mention of the works produced by the University of São Paulo (USP). Based on historical research with bibliographic sources, we seek to answer the following question: what is USP's contribution to the Brazilian PSC field? The results showed that there is the development of a “uspian school”, developed at the Butantã Campus, since the 1970s. We identified three periods, or generations of researchers (1970-1990, 1990-2010, 2010-present), and pointed out some specific concepts elaborated by this tradition, such as: community of fate, rootedness, social humiliation, social scenes and personal, social and programmatic vulnerabilities. We conclude that the “uspian school”, despite less noticed by current literature, has been consolidating itself in the field of PSC and, due to its long tradition, it has offered significant contributions to the discipline.
“Gay Cure” and “Religious Conversion Therapies”
In Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries, the discourse of psi sciences regarding gender and sexuality introduced into society the idea that expressions of gender identities and sexual orientations divergent from cis-heteronormativity would be subject to transformation and healing. Nowadays, it is possible to observe this discourse in the phenomenon of “gay cure” and “religious conversion therapies” with increasing visibility in the country. The objective of this paper is to describe the itineraries carried out by the pathologizing discourse of psi sciences in a historical analytical foray, as well as the appropriation and use of part of it by Christian politicians and religious people. Through the contributions of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, we seek to make visible the materiality and knowledge-power relations circumscribed around the phenomenon of “gay cure” and “religious conversion therapies”, highlighting that Psychology is interested in understanding the contemporary consequences of a pathologizing discourse historically produced by the psi sciences.
This paper aims to demarcate, according to a narrative review, some methodological perspectives in the field of clinical studies of Humanistic-Phenomenological Psychology. Initially, it explains what Humanistic Psychology consists of, as a science of conscious experience. It argues that its history combines several epistemological and methodological affiliations with nomothetic and idiographic manifestations. It then defines these manifestations and points out that their diversity is implicated in the discussion about clinical validity of studies and interventions on conscious experience; however, it is possible to (re)think the idea of validity according to a phenomenological framework. Subsequently, it presents and discusses some methodological perspectives of nomothetic and idiographic research that enable quantitative and qualitative advances in the humanist clinic in its various approaches. It concludes that assuming the contrasting, but circular, character of scientific value may enrich and advance Brazilian Humanistic-Phenomenological Psychology.
The religious experience according to Charles Taylor
The paper dialogues with the concept of religious experience in Charles Taylor. Our purpose is both to confront the emerging notion of religious experience in the work of William James with the conception that Taylor formulates, and to insert Taylor’s notion in the larger context of his work. As we will see, the religious experience in Taylor is not only thought of as a mystical-religious experience, according to James's approach, but also as an ethical-moral experience. From the phenomenological notion of the world, we outline the basic understanding of belief in the pre-modern world, followed by the modern transformations caused by the disenchantment of the world and the Protestant Reformation. Then, we focus on the individualist cultural revolution of the 20th century, putting into perspective the impacts on the understanding of belief. For Taylor, although religious experience has been understood more and more as an individual experience, the content of that experience is still collective.
The Perspectivism of perception in Husserl
In this work, we examine the steps that lead Husserl, in Ideas I, to deal with the mode of donation of space objects to consciousness, especially on the paragraphs §41 and §44. We are interested in accompanying and examining the formulation of what we call “perceptual perspectivism”, consisting in the theorization that the appearance of perceptual objects is marked by the presentation by profiles (Abschattungen). The perspectivism of perception appears in various facets throughout the work. Our investigation is dedicated to two important moments of allusion to perceptual perspectivism: in the characterization of the existential index of reality as being “simply there” in the natural attitude and in the description of the unilaterality of the object as opposed to the absolute being of consciousness.
Pedro Henrique Santos Decanini Marangoni
This article presents an analysis of the first schooling experiences of children with disabilities in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, through the works of Jacob Rodrigues Pereira (1715-1780), Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (1774-1838), Edouard Séguin (1812-1880) and Maria Montessori (1870-1952), identifying methodological assumptions that contributed to the constitution of the area of Special Education and Psychology. This is a historical research that considers theoretical production in the area of special education and psychology, contemplating the reading and analysis of books, articles, theses, dissertations and, mainly, texts, and complete works authored by the surveyed educators. The analyzes pointed out that, by providing conditions for the learning and the development of children with disabilities, the work of these educators contributed to the historical constitution of special education, as well as presenting the roots of the process today called social inclusion.
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This article intends to weave a theoretical, historical and critical reflection on the movements of the problematic of anguish in the Freudian text. We do not follow this chronological thread as if we could go back in time to retrace the path of Freudian thought. There is no way to go back in time, and therefore every return to Freud is a reconstruction using materials foreign to the original building. Thus, first, we will make some considerations about the first Freudian formulations about anguish. Next, the idea is to expose the interrelationship between anguish and repression. Finally, to point out the modifications introduced by Freud in his last theorizing effort on this problematic crossed by the concept of death drive.
Pioneers of school psychology in the state of Piauí
The search presents the history of construction and consolidation of the field of study and performance of School Psychology in Piauí. A qualitative, historiographical approach was used, with oral history. Participants were defined from pioneers contributing to a given field of action. The six interviewees were chosen because they had: i) experience in the area; ii) been teachers; and/or iii) participated in bodies/institutions in the area. The analyzes were constructed from indicators and core meanings of oral records, from which they were organized into 5 thematic axes: a) Performance in educational psychology and school psychology; b) First incursions of Psychology in the field of Education in Piauí; c) Structure and resources available for professional performance; d) Transformation in the field and protagonism of school psychology interns; e) Movements for the decentralization of school psychology in the state.
The aim of this study was to understand the contemporary young person from the perspective of High School students. We used data from a larger survey, which had ten focus groups of Brazilian students. We used Textual Discourse Analysis to assess the findings. Eighty High School students from schools and social units of a private educational network in different regions of the country participated in the study. The results showed that, for the sample surveyed, being young was to experience pressure for performance, career development, and social change. It also involved developing self-knowledge, being critical and socially responsible, facing risks and challenges and gaining autonomy. The results were discussed using gestalt and phenomenological bases. The conclusions point to the diversity and potential of youth experiences in the contemporaneity and raise questions about their impact on the psychological clinic.
The role of epistemological and historical foundations of psychology for the training of psychologists working in social policies
For the last 40 years, the work of psychologists has been oriented by approaching several social policies. Despite advances in terms of professional training and education to work with beneficiaries of such policies, Psychology undergraduate courses still seem to lack the necessary emphasis on the study of such policies and on the consolidation of epistemological, theoretical, and methodological references for psychological practice. This essay critically discusses the role of the epistemological and historical foundations of Psychology on professional training to act in social policies, through a theoretical, bibliographical, and documental study about the historical-epistemological discussions in the Psychology field. It is noteworthy that such discussions set the basis for the development of critical thinking on Psychology as a fragmented and scattered area, as well as enable to unveil the concealed condition of Psychology as an auxiliary knowledge for the subjective and ideologically control of individuals by the State.
The problem of naturalism in William James’s psychology of religion according to Charles Taylor
Starting from the work of Charles Taylor, we deal with the repercussions of naturalism in the works of William James. First, we present Taylor’s notion of naturalism (ethical-moral), to which he opposes his hermeneutic theory. Next, we deal with the Jamesian concept of religious experience and discuss its main characteristics pointed out by Taylor. Then, we present Taylor’s criticisms of this concept and discuss in what sense James would have espoused some of the theses of ethical-moral naturalism.
This article aims at proposing a theoretical relation between Bakhtin’s notion of exotopy and I-positions. The Theory of the Dialogical Self conceives the mind as a dynamic multiplicity of relatively autonomous positions of the self. It is rooted in Michael Bakhtin's dialogical philosophy and William James's theory of the self. Each position of the self, in the mini-society of the mind, has the property of “seeing beyond” of what any other can do. This is because, in time-space, each position of the self can occupy a place that is absolutely unique. Exotopia presupposes the extralocation of these positions of the self, which establishes the viability of dialogical interactions. In this vein, we can promote the construction of meanings. The exotopy leads our ability to respond to another internal or external voice. This spatial condition characterizes every intra or heterodialogical relationship, as well as the possibility of the appearance of novelty of meanings in the self. An empirical case of an adolescent is presented to illustrate the emergence of a new position of the self in the schooling process from the increase in exotopy in the self.
Psychology, science and technology, by Saulo de Freitas Araújo and Cíntia Fernandes Marcellos