REPORT OF UNIVERSITY EXTENSION IN LEGAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AT A PATERNITY RECOGNITION CENTER

Abstract

This article discusses the actions developed by the extension project “Rebordando histórias: the extension with families in the Judiciary system”, linked to the Psychology course at PUC Minas, at the Paternity Recognition Center (CRP) of the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais. Based on the theoretical framework of Legal Social Psychology, it is understood that paternity goes beyond the documental registry,  involving broader matters such as belonging, internal organization of each family, social definition of roles due to gender, among other important aspects related to history and culture. Therefore, this work examines how the project interventions were carried out in the waiting room and during the CRP hearings, with the aim of addressing the theme of parental responsibility, observing the expectation of mothers and supposed fathers regarding their duty and rights regarding the children. It concludes that the concept of paternity needs to be better understood by the public served, as well as by the professionals and interns who deal with the families served in the service, aiming to expand the concept of parental responsibility from the registry to the socio-affective coexistence with the children, without losing view of the gender crossings that influence the construction of paternity.