History of Psychology in Guaraní Territory: An Approach to Training Processes under the Dictatorship and the Formation of Early Professional Association Spaces

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the emergence and development of Psychology in the province of Misiones, Argentina, focusing on the professional training of the first psychologists who settled in the region during the 1970s and 1980s, within the context of the last civil–military dictatorship.

An exploratory-descriptive, qualitative, cross-sectional design was implemented, guided by the principles of grounded theory. The sample consisted of ten in-depth interviews conducted with professionals and direct family members, selected through non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Documentary analysis was also incorporated, and data were processed through thematic categorization.

Findings indicated that training processes were shaped by military interventions in universities, bibliographic censorship, persecution, exile, forced disappearances, and surveillance practices, all of which significantly impacted identity construction and professional trajectories. Additionally, Misiones was identified as a relatively protective space in contrast to the violence experienced in major urban centers, fostering collective organization that led to the creation of the Asociación Misionera de Psicólogos and, subsequently, the Professional College, thereby consolidating disciplinary autonomy.

It is concluded that the recovery of experiential memories allows for a more nuanced understanding of existing historical periodizations and strengthens a situated professional identity linked to human rights and to the ethical defense of psychological practice at the regional level.