Work, senses and mental health: perception of participants in a project income generation

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the meanings of the work for the participants of an action research called "Income Generation Project" in the metropolitan area of Recife / PE, to generate reflections towards the concept of work emancipated according to solidarity economy principles. It was a qualitative research, with unstructured interviews of 8 subjects carried out under the Freirean perspective of popular education. Gill's discourse analysis was used, taking as reference the meaning of the work of the Mental Health Policy. It was observed that the senses found were based on different conceptions, especially in the sense of work as sustenance of the needs of human survival, and in this way, as a potential for the reproduction of life. However, these senses are within the scope of protected-therapeutic work distanced from emancipated work. The process of psychosocial rehabilitation for people with experience in insanity from the perspective of work needs to go beyond income generation, and, when it linked to emancipated work can promote democratic and citizen participation. In this way, there is a fertile ground for the construction of new relations with you and with others based on the principles of the solidarity economy movement.