Historiography and empathy

Critical School Psychology actions on self-injury practices

Resumen

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 selfinjury 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.