Banca de DEFESA: TÚLIO ALCÂNTARA VALENTE

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : TÚLIO ALCÂNTARA VALENTE
DATE: 28/08/2026
TIME: 13:00
LOCAL: Plataforma Google Meet da UFRRJ
TITLE:

The captive interiority: mass psychology, instrumentalized language and the ontological shield.

KEY WORDS:

interiority; mass psychology; language; individuation; ontological shield.

PAGES: 217
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUBÁREA: Psicologia Social
SPECIALTY: Processos Grupais e de Comunicação
SUMMARY:

This thesis investigates the instrumentalization of language within processes of induced subjectivation and the phenomenon of “captive interiority”, a condition in which subjectivity, besieged by the semantic saturation of contemporary culture and exacerbated by algorithmic infrastructure, becomes permeable to inductions that compromise existential autonomy. The investigation is driven by the following problematization: what confers upon certain discourses the symbolic force necessary to trigger outbreaks of collective possession, which factors in the psychodynamics of the masses lead to the suspension of critical capacity, and how can the individual navigate homogenizing social pressure without succumbing to this dynamic? The aim of this thesis is to elucidate the effects of the instrumentalization of discourse on mass mentality and behavior, fundamentally drawing upon the contributions of Carl G. Jung and Louis Lavelle, directly supported by Ernst Cassirer’s phenomenology of culture and Viktor Frankl’s dimensional anthropology, thereby establishing the ontological shield as a structure for individual protection and subjective integrity. The methodology is based on two scoping reviews structured according to the PCC mnemonic and PRISMA guidelines, which provide methodological rigor to the search for subjective mechanisms of resistance against symbolic coercion. Results demonstrate that discursive efficacy manifests through the exploitation of psychological vulnerabilities and the deployment of sophisticated technology, capable of triggering reactions of mass adherence and cognitive immunization refractory to counter-argumentation. The final considerations articulate that the preservation of subjective sovereignty requires the activation of an ontological shield, structured by the convergence between Jung’s complex psychology and Lavelle’s ontology of subjectivity, with the critical support of Cassirer and Frankl. It is concluded that the strengthening of active consciousness – through the will to meaning, the integration of unconscious contents, and symbolic mediation – constitutes the necessary safeguard for the individual to sustain autonomy and existential freedom in the face of the alienating dynamics of the contemporary digital ecosystem.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1226849 - NILTON SOUSA DA SILVA
Interna - 1257372 - DIANA RAMOS DE OLIVEIRA
Externa ao Programa - ***.014.147-** - MARIA CLAUDIA DA SILVA VATER DA COSTA FIORI - UFRJ
Externo à Instituição - CACIO JOSÉ FERREIRA
Externo à Instituição - CLAUDIO PAIXÃO ANASTÁCIO DE PAULA
Externo à Instituição - VITOR JOSE DA CONCEIÇÃO TEIXEIRA AMORIM RODRIGUES