The phenomenon of Self-Help Literature and the social construction of the contemporary subject's feelings.

• Grant number: 24/06320-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Social Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Ari Fernando Maia
• Grantee: Isabela Gonzaga Pitteli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present work develops a critical analysis of the contradictions of current subjectivation process based on the phenomenon of self-help literature, aimed at a female audience. This work is based on the sociology of emotions of Eva Illouz, in dialogue with some categories of the Critical Theory of Society, as instrumental reason and cultural industry. From choosing books"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" (John Gray, 1992) and "Women are from smart, healthy relationships: The book every woman should read before committing to relate" (Augusto Cury, 2014) the aim is to carry out a content analysis in rder to identify the characteristics attributed to contemporary female subjectivity, privileging the elements of therapeutic culture and self-help.