Qualitative Content Analysis on the Perceptions of Early Childhood Education Professionals in a Community Dominated by Violence: Psychoanalytically Oriented Group Intervention in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Abstract School violence encompasses events occurring within the school environment that disrupt pedagogical activities, stemming from both internal and external factors of the educational institution, resulting in a sense of insecurity or fear among educators. This includes a wide spectrum of etiological agents, such as verbal, physical, psychological, economic, or sexual aggression. The present study describes a group intervention method, Conversation Circles, with an interdisciplinary nature, developed to address complex problems, such as endemic violence prevalent in vulnerable communities in Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Embedded within the Continuing Education Program of the Department of Education of the Municipality of Porto Alegre (SMED), these Conversation Circles constitute a method developed through a collaboration between SMED and the Psychoanalytic Society of Porto Alegre (SPPA). Starting from the perspective of a simplistic belief that violence arises only from factors external to the classroom, a systemic understanding of the phenomenon was reached. On the other hand, a conversation about school violence mediated by psychoanalytic understanding also contributed to the development of a holistic awareness of the phenomenon. Where self-limiting narratives often predominated, the mutative effect stimulated by psychoanalytic interventions that stimulated innovative ideas was observed. Our findings emphasize that this collective, structured and procedural conversation could help the group when they are faced with traumatic situations that restrict their ability to think creatively.