VIOLENCE IN VIRILIZATION STRATEGIES AND THE TRIVIALIZATION OF MORAL HARASSMENT IN THE BRAZILIAN ARMY

Abstract

Workplace harassment in military institutions is a phenomenon structured around militarized masculinity, hierarchy, and discipline, configuring naturalized forms of violence in daily military life. This theoretical essay discusses the unique strategies of virilization and banalization of violence in the Brazilian Army, taking workplace harassment as a privileged expression of these dynamics. The starting point is the question: how do the strategies of virilization and banalization of violence in the Brazilian Army contribute to the legitimization of workplace harassment practices and the mental health problems of military personnel? The objective of this article is to problematize the unique aspects of virilization and banalization of violence, disguised as workplace harassment, in the Brazilian Armed Forces, presenting reflections and critiques that primarily integrate the psychosocial reality of work organization and its consequences on the mental health of military personnel. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study, anchored in a theoretical-deductive method, with exploratory and descriptive aims. Bibliographic and documentary review procedures were employed, involving, as primary data, institutional regulations, technical notes, and legislation on harassment and worker health, and, as secondary data, national and international scientific productions on militarized masculinities, moral harassment, and psychological suffering in armed institutions. The analysis of the materials was conducted through sociological hermeneutics of psychosocial inspiration, seeking to articulate categories of gender, power, and work. The results indicate that the construction of a hegemonic militarized masculinity, associated with virility, aggressiveness, and unconditional obedience, favors the transformation of moral harassment into a management and training tool, frequently disguised by the discourse of preparation for combat. It is evident that the pillars of hierarchy and discipline function as devices that silence complaints, hinder the recognition of violence, convert harassment into a training and management tool, and contribute to the stigma related to seeking mental health care and to the aggravation of psychological suffering. Furthermore, the rituals and training processes produce leadership profiles that replicate harassing behaviors, while the victims experience significant psychological suffering, manifested in anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and family harm. It is concluded that workplace harassment constitutes a structural form of institutional violence, and recognizing it as such is essential to guide interventions, prevention policies, and care practices focused on mental health within the Armed Forces.