Psychology In Latin America

This contributed volume is a real “who is who” in Latin American psychology. Edited by the most prominent psychology researcher alive in the region, the book presents a comprehensive panorama of psychology in Latin America as a science, as a profession and as a way of improving the quality of life of individuals and communities. Despite its achievements, Latin American psychology is little known by the international psychological community. In order to fill this gap, Dr. Rubén Ardila has invited the most important researchers and practitioners in the region to present an overview of psychology as both a profession and a research field in Latin America in the following areas: · Scientific research · Professional issues · Clinical and health psychology · Developmental psychology · Educational and school psychology · Organizational and work psychology · Social psychology · Community psychology · Legal and forensic psychology Psychology in Latin America – Current Status, Challenges and Perspectives seeks to place Latin American psychology on the map of international psychology, and by doing so it aims to foster cooperation between researchers, practitioners and students from the region with its peers from all over the world.

This book illustrates how political psychology has addressed critical social issues in Latin America and provides a selective summary of work conducted by some of the leading Latin American researchers in political psychology.

This biographical encyclopedia will provide the first comprehensive reference work on leading scholars and professionals who have contributed to the development and institutionalization of psychology in Latin America. The figures biographed will include scholars who have made a significant theoretical contribution to the discipline, as well as, practitioners and those who have contributed to the institutionalization of psychology, through their work in scientific organisations, professional bodies and publications. All persons included are recognized authorities and either natives of, or long-term residents in the region. It will offer an invaluable reference point, in particular for scholars of the history of psychology, Latin American studies, the history of science, and global psychology; as well as for historians, psychologists and social scientists seeking international perspectives on the development of the discipline.

This book presents a cultural history of psychology that analyzes the diverse contexts in which psychological knowledge and practices have developed in Latin America. The book aims to contribute to the growing effort to develop a theoretical knowledge that complements the biographical perspective centered on the great figures, with a polycentric history that emphasizes the different cultural, social, economic and political phenomena that accompanied the emergence of psychology. The different chapters of this volume show the production of historians of psychology in Latin America who are part of the Ibero-American Network of Researchers in History of Psychology (RIPeHP, in the Portuguese acronym for "Rede Iberoamericana de Pesquisadores em História da Psicologia"). They present a significant sample of the research carried out in a field that has experienced a strong development in the region in the last decades. The volume is divided into two parts. The first presents comparative chapters that address cross-cutting issues in the different countries of the region. The second part analyzes particular aspects of the development of psychology in seven countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru. Throughout these chapters the reader will find how psychology made its way through dictatorial governments, phenomena of violence and internal armed conflict, among others. Dimensions that include rigorous analysis ranging from ancestral practices to current geopolitical knowledge of the Latin American region. ​History of Psychology in Latin America - A Cultural Approach is an invaluable resource for historians of psychology, anywhere in the world, interested in a polycentric and critical approach. Since its content is part of the "cultural turn in psychology" it is also of interest to readers interested in the social and human sciences in general. Finally, the thoroughly international perspective provided through its chapters make the book a key resource for both undergraduate and graduate teaching and education on the past and current state of psychology.

Since the mid-1980s, the psychology of liberation movement has been a catalyst for collective and individual change in communities throughout Latin America, and beyond; and recent political developments are making its powerful, transformative ideas more relevant than ever before. Psychology of Liberation: Theory and Applications updates the activist frameworks developed by Ignacio Martin-Baro and Paulo Freire with compelling stories from the frontlines of conflict in the developing and developed worlds, as social science and psychological practice are allied with struggles for peace, justice, and equality. In these chapters, liberation is presented as both an ongoing process and a core dimension of wellbeing, entailing the reconstruction of social identity and the transformation of all parties involved, both oppressed and oppressors. It also expands the social consciousness of professionals, bringing more profound meaning to practice and enhancing related areas such as peace psychology, as shown in articles such as these: Philippines: the role of liberation movements in the transition to democracy. Venezuela: liberation psychology as a therapeutic intervention with street youth. South Africa: the movement for representational knowledge. Muslim world: religion, the state, and the gendering of human rights. Ireland: linking personal and political development. Australia: addressing issues of racism, identity, and immigration. Colombia: building cultures of peace from the devastation of war. Psychology of Liberation demonstrates the commitment to overcome social injustices and oppression. The book is a critical resource for social and community psychologists as well as policy analysts. It can also be used as a text for graduate courses in psychology, sociology, social work and community studies.

This is the first book in English to show how the work of Lev Vygotsky gave rise to a prolific and original school of cultural-historical psychology in Latin America. In recent decades, Latin American researchers have expanded Vygotskyan conceptualizations and applied practical theory to psychological and educational research and practice, but until now this production remained virtually unknown for English speaking audiences since it has been mainly published in Spanish and Portuguese. This timely volume contributes to change this situation by presenting a panoramic picture of the state of the art of cultural-historical psychology in Latin America. The book is divided in two parts. The first part shows how Latin American researchers used Vygotsky’s work to develop new theoretical elaborations and empirical advances to deal with different political, social and cultural problems in the region. The second part presents an overview of the current state of cultural-historical psychology in Latin America. Throughout its 15 chapters, the book shows how Latin American researchers contributed to the studies of different aspects of the cultural-historical theoretical conception of the development of higher psychological functions, such as concept formation, inner speech, zone of proximal development and imagination, and how these theoretical elaborations have been applied to research and practice in fields such as sociocultural psychology, developmental psychology, psychotherapy and education in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico. Latin American Advances in Subjectivity and Development - Through the Vygotsky Route will be an invaluable resource to researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of psychology, education and other social sciences interested in discovering or learning more about the original Latin American school of cultural-historical psychology.

Latin America has increased its share of world scientific publications by nearly twofold during the last two decades (approximately from 2 to 4%). Despite this positive trend, the scholarly impact of scientific research produced in the region - measured in terms of citation rate - remains low. Two interrelated factors that contribute to this situation is that most research groups tend to work in isolation or in local sporadic collaboration, and results are often published in journals that are not indexed in major citation databases (e.g., SCOPUS, or Web of Science). Ultimately, part of Latin American high-quality research seems to remain hidden from the rest of the world. Over the last decades, an important number of Latin American scientists have developed fruitful research agendas on questions on learning and emotion, focusing on basic and/or translational research with humans and other animal models, and implementing diverse methodologies. Notwithstanding the important contributions of these research programs, Latin American research on emotion and learning has followed the overall trend of other research fields throughout the region; namely, remaining partially hidden from the large scientific community of the world. This Research Topic aimed to engage researchers from Latin America to share their empirical and conceptual work on learning and emotion. Ultimately, this effort was expected to strengthen and integrate our regional community of experts, enhance global networking, and establish new challenges and developments for future investigation.