The Display of Distress and Clinical Psychology Know-How: A Scope Review

Abstract

This study is a scoping review that aims to investigate the interpretation of anguish (key concept) in phenomenological-hermeneutic-inspired psychological practice in Brazil (research field). To this end, articles, dissertations, and theses were collected from the BVS, CAPES, BDTD, and SciELO databases, yielding 210 works. After an independent analysis by three reviewers, 11 were selected. Based on the findings, the following thematic axes were developed: 1) Heidegger in dialogue, addressing the connections between Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Boss; 2) affectivity, focusing on anguish as a fundamental affectivity and other tones, such as loneliness and fear; and 3) clinical know-how in psychology, exploring the phenomenological-hermeneutic resonances in clinical practice and in the understanding of depression and anxiety. The study highlights the importance of uncovering alternative understandings of human existence, psychopathologies, and the very meaning of anguish, aiming to move away from pathologizing perspectives. It emphasizes the psychologist's clinical action, committed to accompanying and sustaining the manifestations of anguish, enabling the awakening of the radical existential condition of healing, freedom, and individuation. Additionally, it underscores the need for further studies to explore how anguish has manifested in the ontic context of psychological practice.