Historiography and empathy: Critical School Psychology actions on self-injury practices

Abstract

Objective Intervention research in the field of Critical School Psychology based on historiographical assumptions. The objective was to investigate the current meanings of non-suicidal self-harm in educational environments. Method In the workshops, psychology students were prepared to put themselves in the shoes of a person with a history of non-suicidal self-harm. Later, these students wrote narratives about that person's past, their current experiences and future expectations. Results Aspects highlighted in the literature about the history of non-suicidal self-injury were also configured in the current meanings about self-mutilation described in the narratives of Psychology students. Psychology students modified their meanings about non-suicidal self-injury to empathize with people with this experience. Conclusion As the historiographical approach aims to explain current situations anchored in past events, it favors the planning of actions for educational environments committed to ethical and political aspects. The focus on empathy associated with a historiographical perspective on educational processes can be a way to design actions in the field of Critical School Psychology, given its commitment to the humanization of contemporary society.