Prazer e sofrimento no trabalho voluntário: um estudo em organizações de apoio ao tratamento de portadores de câncer infanto juvenil.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand the experiences of pleasure and suffering in voluntary work. The Psychodynamics of Work (DEJOURS, 2006, 2011, 2019; DEJOURS; GERNET, 2012; AUGUSTO; FREITAS; MENDES, 2014; SILVA; GONÇALVES; ZONATTO, 2017; ALVES; BATISTA-DOS-SANTOS, 2018; AREOSA, 2019 and AMARAL; MENDES; FACAS, 2019) was the theoretical lens chosen for the relevance of this framework in the approach to occupational health that aims to assess the strategies of individuals to reframe, overcome suffering and transform the work context into a place of pleasure. Volunteering has been increasingly relevant both for its value for maintaining social cohesion and for what it represents for the economy. Typically, voluntary work is seen as the exercise of an activity that the individual identifies and performs for the common good (SOUZA; MEDEIROS, 2012). However, it is known that even in this context of identification with the activity, experiences of pleasure and suffering are inherent in working. Methodologically, it is a qualitative and descriptive research. The field research was carried out through in-depth semi-structured interviews with volunteers, over eighteen years old, who work in institutions that support the childhood cancer treatment. The data were analyzed using the technique of Sense Nuclei Analysis, to understand the narratives. The results show that the experiences of pleasure are related to achievement, recognition, freedom of expression and appreciation. They also are linked to the context and content dimensions of Psychodynamics of Work, as well as the central aspect that work has in the lives of volunteers and their motivation to join this type of work. In turn, the experiences of suffering are concentrated in the experiences of exhaustion and devaluation, mainly related to the suffering caused by disease and death. It was also found that both experiences, of pleasure and suffering, are not antagonistic, occurring concurrently. It is suggested for future studies to expand the research field to other segments, such as charities supporting people experiencing homelessness, and that use other data collection techniques in addition to in-depth semi-structured.