Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T20:01:48.975Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Psychology of Liberation for Central America: The Unfinished Work of Ignacio Martín-Baró (1942–1989)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2013

José María Gondra
José María Gondra*
Affiliation:
Universidad del País Vasco (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to José María Gondra, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Procesos Psicológicos Básicos. Universidad del País Vasco; Avda. Tolosa, 70, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

On November 16, 1989 the world was shocked by the news of the assassination of six Jesuits at the campus of the Universidad Centro Americana José Simeón Cañas (UCA) in San Salvador, El Salvador. Among those murdered by government soldiers was Ignacio Martín-Baró, a PhD in social psychology from the University of Chicago who at that time was the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Vice-President of the Interamerican Society of Psychology (SIP). Drawing on Martín-Baró’s published writings and non-published academic papers and correspondence, this article traces the evolution of the Spanish-born Jesuit who became a leading authority among Latin American social psychologists. In particular, it analyzes his project of becoming a clinical psychologist under the influence of psychoanalysis, his critical social psychology aimed to “de-ideologize” the oppressed social classes of El Salvador, and his ultimate project of a psychology of liberation for Latin America. Martín-Baró’s work came to a tragic end just when it began to bear fruit, but it stands as a testimony to a lifetime committed to the human values of democracy, social justice and service to society’s poorest and most neglected.

Keywords

Martín-Barópsychology of liberation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 16 , 2013 , E31
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the joint meeting of Cheiron and the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences, Dawson College, Montreal, Canada, July 2012. Translation of Martin-Baro’s texts by the author.

References

Aaron, A. & Corne, S. (Eds.), (1994). Writings for a liberation psychology, Ignacio Martín-Baró. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Althusser, L. (1965/1968). La revolución teórica de Marx [Marx’s theoretical revolution] . México: Siglo XXI Google Scholar
Arroyo, J. (1971). Reflexiones sobre psicología social [Thoughts on social psychology] . San Salvador, El Salvador: Departamento de Psicología de la UCA.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Berger, P. L. & Luckman, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise on the sociology of knowledge. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Buber, M. (1958). I and thou. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s.Google Scholar
Buber, M. (1961). Between man and man. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Buytendijk, F. J. J. (1962). Pain. Its modes and functions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Castilla del Pino, C. (1966). Un estudio sobre la depresión [A study about depression] . Barcelona, Spain: Península.Google Scholar
Castilla del Pino, C. (1968a). La culpa [Guilt] . Madrid, Spain: Revista de Occidente.Google Scholar
Castilla del Pino, C. (1968b). Dialéctica de la persona, dialéctica de la situación [Dialectics of the person, dialectics of the situation] . Barcelona, Spain: Península.Google Scholar
Castilla del Pino, C. (1969). La incomunicación [Lack of communication] . Barcelona, Spain: Península.Google Scholar
De la Corte, L. (2001). Memoria de un compromiso: La psicología social de Ignacio Martín-Baró [Memory of a commitment: The social psychology of Ignacio Martin-Baro] . Bilbao, Spain: Desclée de Brouwer.Google Scholar
Dollard, J., Doob, L. W., Miller, N. E., Mowrer, O. H., & Sears, R. R. (1939). Frustration and aggression. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frankl, V. E. (1955). Homo patiens. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Plantín.Google Scholar
Frankl, V. E. (1967). Psychotherapy and existentialism. Selected papers on Logotherapy. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Google Scholar
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Herder and Herder.Google Scholar
Freire, P. (1971). La educación como práctica de la libertad [Education as practice of freedom] . Montevideo, Uruguay: Tierra Nueva.Google Scholar
Freud, S. (1920/1948). Beyond the pleasure principle. London, UK: Hogart Press.Google Scholar
Fromm, E. (1940). Escape from freedom. New York, NY: Norton.Google Scholar
Fromm, E. (1947). Man for himself, New York, NY: Holt.Google Scholar
Fromm, E. (1973). The Anatomy of human destructiveness, New York, NY: Holt.Google Scholar
Gergen, K. J. (1973). Social psychology as history. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 26, 309–320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0034436 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gutiérrez, G. (1971). Teología de la liberación [Liberation theology] . Salamanca, Spain: Sígueme.Google Scholar
Horney, K. (1939). New ways in psychoanalysis. New York, NY: Norton.Google Scholar
Lorenz, K. (1966). On aggression. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace.Google Scholar
Lubek, I. (1979). A brief social psychological analysis of research on aggression in social psychology. In Buss, A. R. (Ed.), Psychology in social context (pp.259–306). New York, NY: Irvington Publishers.Google Scholar
Marcuse, H. (1955). Eros and civilization. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Marcuse, H. (1964). One dimensional man. London, UK: Routledge and Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Marin, G. (1991). Ignacio Martín-Baró, S. J. (1942–1989). American Psychologist, 46, 532. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.46.5.532 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1963). Nietzsche y Freud (a modo de ensayo) [Nietzsche and Freud (by way of essay)]. (Unpublished academic paper). Bogotá, Colombia: Universidad Javeriana. In Archivo de los Mártires, Biblioteca de Teología “Juan Ramón Moreno”. UCA. San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1964). Sufrir y ser [To suffer and to be]. Unpublished academic paper. Bogotá, Colombia: Universidad Javeriana. In Archivo de los Mártires. Biblioteca de Teología “Juan Ramón Moreno”. UCA, San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1965, March 22). Letter written in English to Dr. Victor E. Frankl. In Archivo de los Mártires. Biblioteca de Teología “Juan Ramón Moreno”. UCA, San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1966). La muerte como problema filosófico [Death as aphilosophical problem]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 21, 7–12.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1968a). El complejo de macho, o el “machismo” [The macho complex]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 23, 38–42.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1968b). Propaganda: Deseducación social [Propaganda: Social diseducation]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 23, 367–373.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1970a). Psicología de la caricia [Psychology of caress]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 25, 496–498.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1970b). Epílogo [Epilogue]. (Unpublished document). In Archivo de los Mártires. Biblioteca de Teología “Juan Ramón Moreno”. UCA San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1971a). Del pensamiento alienado al pensamiento creativo [From alienated thought to creative thought]. La Universidad, (May-June), 161–186.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1971b). Problemas actuales en psicopedagogía escolar [Current problems in school psychopedagogy]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 26, 401–413.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1972a).Una nueva pedagogía para una universidad nueva [A new pedagogy for a new university]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 27, 129–145.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1972b). Del alcohol a la marihuana [From alcohol to marijuana]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 27, 225–242.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1972c). Hacia una docencia liberadora [Towards a liberating teaching]. Universidades, 50, 9–26.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1972d). Psicodiagnóstico de América Latina [Psychodiagnostic of Latin America] . San Salvador, El Salvador: Lea.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1973). Algunas repercusiones psicosociales de la densidad demográfica en El Salvador [Some psychosocial impact of population density in El Salvador]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 28, 123–132.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1974). Elementos de conscientización sociopolítica en los currícula de las universidades [Sociopolitical conscientization elements in the curricula of universities]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 29, 765–783.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1975a). Culpabilidad religiosa en un barrio popular [Religious guilt in a lower-class neighborhood]. (Unpublished licentiate thesis). In Special Collections, Biblioteca “P. Florentino Idoate”. UCA, San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1975b). El valor psicológico de la represión política mediante la violencia [The psychological value of political repression through violence]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 30, 742–752.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1977a). Group attitudes and social conflict in El Salvador. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Chicago, IL. In Special Collections, Biblioteca P. Florentino Idoate, UCA, San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1979a). Household density and crowding in lower-class Salvadorans. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Chicago, IL. In Special Collections, Biblioteca P. Forentino Idoate, UCA, San Salvador, El Salvador.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1979b). Haciendo la universidad [Making the university] . Guatemala: FUPAC ediciones.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1981a). La guerra civil en El Salvador [The civil war in El Salvador]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 36, 17–32.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1981b). Actitudes en El Salvador ante una solución política a la guerra civil [Attitudes in El Salvador in view of a political solution to the civil war]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 36, 325–348.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1982). Un psicólogo social ante la guerra civil en El Salvador [A social psychologist before the civil war in El Salvador]. Revista de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Psicología Social, 2, 91–111.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1983a). Acción e ideología. Psicología social desde Centroamérica [Action and ideology. Social psychology from Central America] . San Salvador, El Salvador: UCA Editores.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1983b). La polarización social en El Salvador [Social polarization in El Salvador]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 38, 129–142.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1984). Guerra y salud mental [War and mental health]. ECA. Estudios Centroamericanos, 39, 503–514.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1985). El hacinamiento residencial: Ideologización y verdad de un problema real [Residential overcrowding: Ideology and truth of a real problem]. Revista de Psicología Social, (without number), 31–50.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1985/1992). Conflicto social e ideología científica: De Chile a El Salvador [Social conflict and scientific ideology: From Chile to El Salvador]. Revista de Psicología de El Salvador, 11, 317–338.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1985/1994). The role of the psychologist. In Aaron, A. & Corne, S. (Eds.), Writings for a liberation psychology (pp. 33–46). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1986/1994). Toward a liberation psychology. In A.Aaron, & Corne, S. (Eds.), Writings for a liberation psychology (pp.17–32). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1987/1992). Los grupos con historia: Un modelo psicosocial [Groups with history: A psychoosocial model]. Revista de Psicología de El Salvador, 11, 7–29.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1987/1994). Power, politics, and personality. In Aaron, A. & Corne, S. (Eds.), Writings for a liberation psychology (pp. 47–67). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (Ed.). (1988a). Psicología social de la Guerra [Social Psychology of war] . San Salvador: El Salvador: UCA editores.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1988b). From dirty war to psychological war: The case of El Salvador. In Aron, A. (Ed.), Exile and return: Mental health and the refugee (pp. 2–22). San Francisco, CA: CHRICA.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1988c), La violencia política y la guerra como causas del trauma psicosocial de El Salvador [Political violence and war as causes of psychosocial trauma in El Salvador]. Revista de Psicología de El Salvador, 7, 123–141.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (Ed.). (1989a). La opinión pública salvadoreña [Salvadorian’s public opinion] . San Salvador, El Salvador: UCA editores.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1989b). Sistema, grupo y poder. Psicología social desde Centroamérica II [System and power group. Social psychology from Central America] . San Salvador, El Salvador: UCA Editores.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1989c). La institucionalización de la Guerra [The institutionalization of war]. Revista de Psicología de El Salvador, 8, 223–245.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (1998). Psicología de la liberación [Liberation psychology] . Madrid, Spain: Trotta.Google Scholar
Martín-Baró, I. (2003). Poder, ideología y violencia [Power, ideology and violence] . Madrid, Spain: Trotta.Google Scholar
Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper.Google Scholar
Moscovici, S. (1972). Society and theory in social psychology. In Israel, J. & Taifels, H. (Eds.), The context of social psychology: A critical assessment (pp. 17–68). London, UK: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Pacheco, G. & Jiménez, B. (Eds.). (1990). Ignacio Martín-Baró (1943–1989): Psicología de la liberación para América Latina [Ignacio Martín-Baró (1943–1989): Psychology of liberation for Latin America] . Guadalajara, México: Universidad de Guadalajara.Google Scholar
Piaget, J. (1969). Introducción a la psicolingüística [Introduction to psycholinguistics] . Buenos Aires, Argentina: Proteo.Google Scholar
Pickren, W.E. & Rutherford, A. (2010). A history of modern psychology in context. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Pool, I. de, S. (Ed.). (1959). Trends in content analysis. Urbana; IL: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Whitfield, T. (1994). Paying the price, Ignacio Ellacuría and the murdered Jesuits of El Salvador. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University.Google Scholar