"Eu tenho voz em minhas mãos": ontologia de um órgão: psicologia da saúde sob virada ontológica

Abstract

This work is an exercise in health psychology through an ontological turn. The aim is to bring to light a rarely explored dimension within the field of Health Psychology: the ontology of human body organs and their influence on health services. This dissertation is part of the completion of the Professional Master's Degree in Health Psychology from the Graduate Program in Health Psychology (PPGPS/UFBA), linked to Research Line 1: Clinical Practices and Mental Health, and is composed of three chapters. The present work has a strong connection with Health Psychology by proposing an innovative reflection on the ontology of organs—particularly the hands—and their implications in mental health care processes. This dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter, in the format of an article submitted to Revista Psicologia & Saúde, aims to reflect on the importance of the hands as communicative organs, considering their ontological and anatomical-connective nature, as well as exploring the metaphorical zones in the discourse of Deaf individuals and health professionals. The method involved mapping, observing, and describing the action verbs used by Deaf individuals when referring to their own hands, as a way to trace the emergence of a specific mode of existence: that of the “speaking hands.” As a result, it was possible to identify that the hands of Deaf individuals are more than tools of communication—they are ontological organs, that is, they acquire an existence of their own as agents of speech and connection. This perspective allows for a reconfiguration of the understanding of corporeality in Health Psychology, shifting the focus from the individual subject to the multiple agencies that constitute the body in relation to the world. Furthermore, the analysis revealed the importance of considering speech intensifiers—such as alternative communication cards—as co-authors in communication processes. The second chapter, also in the format of an article submitted to Revista Psicologia & Saúde, seeks through philosophical and anatomical analysis to understand how the hand becomes a protagonist in providing Deaf individuals access to the world of language, especially through Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS), and how the field of Health Psychology can contribute to this perspective. It is a qualitative, cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study with an applied methodological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with psychologists, and a Health Training and Capacity-Building Protocol was applied with professionals from a mental health outpatient clinic in the interior of Bahia, aiming to reflect on the ontology of the hands as communicative organs in the context of deafness. Alternative communication cards were used as tools to expand the communicative repertoire between Deaf users and hearing professionals. The results highlighted the importance of recognizing and valuing the protagonism of the hands as organs of speech for Deaf individuals, thus contributing to greater access and inclusion in mental health services. Finally, the third chapter presents the technical-technological product in the form of a Health Training and Capacity-Building Protocol, titled A Look at the Hands, with the aim of developing health education in the context of Health Psychology through the lens of the ontological turn and deafness. Additionally, a Health Training and Capacity-Building Protocol was developed with mental health professionals through an experiential workshop. The proposal included theoretical discussions on the ontological turn in Health Psychology and the importance of hands as communicative organs for Deaf individuals. Simulations of consultations using alternative communication cards were conducted. The results demonstrated that participants expanded their perception of the role of the hands in communication, recognizing their ontological dimension, which contributed to strengthening more accessible and inclusive practices in mental health services. This research was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of IMS/UFBA, under opinion number 7.059.225.