Experiences of female police officers from the psychodynamic of work perspective

Purpose This study aims to analyze pleasure, suffering and defensive strategies among civil police officers at specialized police stations for women, based on the psychodynamics of work. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative study with 30 civil police officers in Ceará, Brazil. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using sense nuclei analysis. Findings Pleasure relates to identity, recognition, practical intelligence and collaboration; suffering relates to workload, violence, institutional constraints and gender discrimination. Subjective conditions predominate. Individual defenses address suffering; collective strategies mobilize and strengthen officers but have limited capacity to prevent illness. Sisterhood emerges as resistance and collective empowerment. Practical implications Mental health monitoring, dialogue and gender equity are recommended. Social implications Findings reinforce public policies on mental health and equity. Originality/value This study extends the psychodynamics of work by highlighting the ambivalence of compensation and repression and proposing sisterhood as collective action beyond adaptation, fostering resistance and transformation.