Community psychology and government programs linked to overcoming poverty

Abstract

Community Psychology has emerged in the country as one of the relevant disciplines since the eighties. Incorporated into the process of social mobilization developed in that decade, it has now become part, to a certain extent, of the institutional policies of different state agencies. However, experience begins to point out that government structures are not yet prepared for a community approach to social problems, nor are current professionals who have recently graduated from psychology, who still have very little training. This requires administrative-financial modifications and also changes to the logic of the underlying paradigms. Even more so when towards the year 2000 Chilean society is heading towards new phenomena such as regionalization and the participation of new social sectors, processes, against which this discipline must know how to incorporate itself.