Sob a vigilância do grande irmão: o adoecimento psíquico dos professores na era do business intelligence

Abstract

This study analyzed the psychological distress of public school teachers in the state of São Paulo, understanding it as an effect of power relations, discipline, and surveillance that permeate the modern school. The investigation was grounded in Foucault’s reading of the school as a disciplinary device and in Christophe Dejours’ psychodynamics of work, while also drawing on contributions regarding subjectivity, individualism, and liquid modernity. In this context, emphasis was placed on the role of Business Intelligence as a management technology that translates teaching practice into metrics and indicators, reinforcing individual accountability and the logic of control. The qualitative research involved five state school teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews. The narratives, preserved under anonymity, were examined through content analysis as proposed by Laurence Bardin. The results revealed working conditions marked by overload and task fragmentation, combined with the intensive use of digital platforms and the mismatch between public policies and school reality - factors that weaken professional bonds and intensify emotional strain. At the same time, collective and individual strategies of resistance emerged, such as cooperation among colleagues, alternative pedagogical methodologies, and self-care practices, which proved essential for preserving mental health. These findings indicate that confronting teachers’ psychological distress requires public policies that acknowledge the complexity of school work, as well as the strengthening of solidarity practices built in everyday contexts. As a technical product, the study presents the design of a therapeutic group project, conceived as a social technology aimed at supporting collective practices of care and resistance within the educational environment.