Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the way we relate to the world around us, requiring a new set of behaviors, knowledge and skills that enable us to deal with this situation. Psychology as a science and profession is in a position to make a substantive contribution to society so that we can face this challenge. However, we still need to know a little more about how work and organizational psychologist deals with this type of situation. We developed a multiple case study, analyzing the experience of three psychologists who occupy the position of human resource managers in different work organizations. Data were collected through the use of diaries and qualitative interviews. We use Schlossberg’s (1984Schlossberg, N. K. (1984). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory. New York: Springer Publishing. ) transition framework, originally developed as a tool to understanding adaptive processes in situations of change, in order to analyze how these professionals are dealing with this moment of crisis. It was possible to identify the main triggers that initiate the transition process, as well as some of the resources used by work and organizational psychology (WOP) professionals to better deal with the situation. This approach allowed us to realize that over the period studied, professionals faced different transitions and that the interaction between personal and organizational resources is able to establish greater control over the process. The findings suggest that in a crisis situation, the search for scientific knowledge is one of the main strategies used by WOP psychologists, reinforcing the dual status of science and profession in our area.

Keywords:
Covid-19; Work and Organizational Psychology; Transition