Vivências de sofrimento e estratégias defensivas: uma análise discursiva das narrativas de investigadores da polícia civil

Abstract

This study sought to carry out a discursive analysis of the defensive strategies of civil police investigators, assigned to police stations for the protection of children and adolescents victims of violence, in coping with experiences of suffering at work. Police work includes dealing with incidents that may cause psychic and emotional suffering, and it is important to understand the possibilities and strategies used by these professionals to maintain their mental well-being. The theoretical assumptions are based on the Psychodynamics of Work. In methodological terms, a qualitative, exploratory approach was used, whose data were collected through interviews, with reports – including the speeches and silences of the participants – which were analyzed in the light of the French aspect of Discourse Analysis. The most evident discursive elements explored with regard to the work of police officers are related to the experiences of suffering at work and the defenses developed to maintain balance. What was sought through this study, therefore, was to explain the work context that causes suffering and leads to the development of defensive strategies, identifying the main defenses used by researchers and leading participants and readers to reflect on police action.