Resumo

LIMA, Suzana Canez da Cruz. The work of caretaking: a psychodynamics analysis. Rev. Psicol., Organ. Trab. [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.2, pp.203-215. ISSN 1984-6657.

The present study analyzes the suffering and the defense strategies put into play by the social caretaker of a municipal shelter for children and adolescents. Our investigation, relying on the principles of the Psychodynamics of Work, and on the thoughts and research studies developed by Molinier (2008; 2009), adopted the methodology proposed by the Psychodynamics of Work for group discussions with eight caretakers in charge of children, ranging from 0 to 6 years of age, in a municipal shelter in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro state. Our findings show that the work of the caretaker is a complex activity built on the relationship with the other, which demands a strong subjective mobilization and requires continuous inventiveness. The sense of helplessness - doubts concerning the 'means ways of doing' -, the fear generated by precarious working conditions and lack of safety at work, aggravated by the lack of recognition, constitute the suffering evident among these women caretakers.We conclude that the defense strategies are a collective means of dealing with the deficiencies of the work organization and that such resources establish an affective distancing between caretaker and care recipient. We further understand that our findings demonstrate the construction of sexual defense strategies already identified in other professional categories of caretaking.

Palavras-chave : Psychodynamics of Work; Caretaking Work; Suffering at Work; Defense Strategies.

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