Models of practice in community in Brazil: Possibilities for the psychology–community relationship

This article deals with practices which have characterized community work by psychologists in Brazil since the 1960s. It describes the changes that have happened in such work and connects them to transformations in the nature of the practices that have developed such as political militancy, services to the underprivileged, and institutionalization of community work by the State. Invoking strictly psychological reasons to explain the phenomenon investigated, some implications affecting community work are pointed out, as well as those that attribute to sociopolitical aspects the basic responsibility for the problems suffered by the population. It is argued that the work developed in communities should be analyzed from two perspectives: one related to the procedures used and a second related to identification of the theoretical– philosophical principles guiding those practices. The practice of community social psychology would then be based on work guaranteeing a specific professional identity to psychologists, while using techniques consistent with the historical–social view of the problems experienced by the population and producing a specific impact on their daily lives.