THE HUMAN CONDITION AND ITS INCOMPLETENESS: STATE OF THE QUESTION ON LIFE PROJECT IN EDUCATION

Abstract

The study aims to analyse how the concept of Life Project has been addressed in Brazilian scientific production, particularly within the context of secondary education reform, highlighting its relationship with the human condition and the holistic development of individuals. Grounded in cultural-historical psychology, it considers human existence as an unfinished process in which education plays a central role as a phenomenon mediated by social and cultural interactions. The research adopts the State of the Question approach to examine articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the CAPES Periodicals Portal database, identifying theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as reflections on the relationship between Life Project and the field of education. These data are articulated with the main conceptions of the human being developed throughout the history of Western thought. The results point to a diversity of perspectives and a lack of conceptual consensus, while also indicating the importance of the theme for students’ mental health and for the construction of meaning in response to social demands. It is further emphasised that students should be recognised in their capacity to consciously refuse imposed meanings, affirming their autonomy in constructing their own life projects. The relevance of the study lies in its contribution to the debate on education as a space of humanisation, reinforcing the need for pedagogical practices that value the subjective and critical development of young people, avoiding reductionist or instrumental approaches to the concept. Furthermore, it considers the transformations of the contemporary world as a backdrop to the emergence and centrality of this theme in education.