“Sujeito do desempenho”: o ideal de produtividade como condição de sofrimento psíquico em estudantes de psicologia

Abstract

For many young people, the transition from school to university is a milestone in their independence, along with the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It can be experienced as a challenging period of adaptation that demands cognitive, emotional and social support. In his broad theory, Donald W. Winnicott describes a process of subjectivation centered on environmental support and the possibility of the individual experiencing creativity with spontaneity and authenticity, characteristics of an emotionally healthy life. In contrast, modern society, understood by Foucault as submissive and disciplined, finds itself in contemporary times conformed to the molds of the liberal economy, becoming the “subject of discipline” (Foucault, 1977) and now the “subject of performance” (Han, 2015). This study aims to analyze, in light of Winnicott's psychoanalytic theory, how the impasses of pressure for productivity and self-exploration that plague contemporary society impact university life and promote emotional distress among undergraduate Psychology students at a federal university in Northeastern Brazil. The study included 25 students aged between 19 and 31 years old, most of whom were female, single, self-identified as black or brown, with low family income and who combine study with work. The participants answered a printed questionnaire in person that presented three fictitious open-ended situations, and were asked to freely invent an outcome for each situation. The responses were analyzed qualitatively, according to Bardin's Content Analysis, and were organized into three thematic categories: The subject of performance in the university environment; ideal of productivity as a condition for psychological distress; mental health actions at the university as a counterpoint to the emotional distress of students. The results corroborate the importance of the university environment. By reproducing the values of exacerbated productivity and individual performance, the academic environment promotes exhaustion, feelings of inadequacy and isolation. On the other hand, through psychological assistance actions, the institution studied has offered spaces for speaking, listening, reflection and strengthening of bonds. The study aims to contribute to the discussion of the topic, considering the inseparability between environment and subjective experience, as well as assist in the planning of student policies.