RESISTANCE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND TERRITORY: THE PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES OF ETHNODEVELOPMENT IN AMAZONIAN COMMUNITIES

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the main effects of ethnodevelopment in Indigenous communities, emphasizing the relationship between mental health, territory, and resistance. This research is justified by the growing economic interest in Indigenous lands for the extraction of natural resources. Such enterprises rely on advanced technologies with a high capacity for devastation, causing profound changes to ecosystems and negatively affecting the well-being of traditional peoples. A critical literature review was employed as the methodological approach for the development of this article, encompassing different fields of knowledge such as psychology, anthropology, education, and community health.  The role of the psychologist is to observe, denounce, and remain sensitive to Indigenous issues, and, from an ethical standpoint, to avoid reproducing discourses that encourage practices grounded in a Western normative perspective. It is concluded that ethnodevelopment–understood as the self-management and organization of their own resources by Indigenous peoples are essential for preserving their relationship with well-being.