Literature as Care: Psychology, Memory, and Decolonial Practices

Abstract

This article examines the interrelationships between psychology and literature, highlighting how both areas converge in the approach to essential aspects of human experience. Psychology offers theoretical and methodological tools for understanding the emotional processes of writers and literary characters, which enriches textual analysis and allows a deeper and more complex interpretation. In contrast, literature is a means of expression and reflection on psychological, cultural and social dilemmas, providing valuable insights into the unconscious and subjectivity of writers and readers. Thus, we address the historical connections between the two disciplines, Highlighting the potential of literature as a decolonial psychotherapeutic resource and the relevance of this perspective for the development of a psychological science committed to the promotion of mental health and the construction of critical knowledge.