Sexual education with adolescents in a public school

contributions of psychoanalysis to the biopsychosocial model

Abstract

This article stems from an undergraduate thesis in Psychology, defended at the Faculdade Ciências da Vida (FCV), located in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It offers a critical discussion on the preventive and biopsychosocial models of sex education currently implemented in Brazilian public schools. As a counterpoint and contribution to these prevailing approaches, the study draws on psychoanalytic theory and its methodology of conversational practices—developed through a partnership between public schools and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). This perspective is employed in light of the fact that mainstream models tend to overlook the singular dimension of sexuality, which serves as the guiding question of this work. The general objective is to examine how conversations grounded in psychoanalytic theory can contribute to and enrich the biopsychosocial model, considering that the encounter with sexuality—rooted in instinctual drives—is not something that can be formally taught and instead manifests in a singular, subjective manner. The methodology involved a bibliographic review to support the theoretical framework. Based on this, the study pursued two specific aims: (1) to conceptualize the biopsychosocial model of sex education, and (2) to highlight its distinctions from the biologically focused preventive model within the school context.The study concludes that each participant’s history, as it emerges through conversation, can be uniquely re-signified. This process allows for small yet meaningful disruptions in the symptomatic forms of socialization.