COMMUNITY SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE POWER OF AFFECTION: AN ACCOUNT OF INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This article consists of an experience report resulting from the mandatory curricular internship practice "Internship VI - The psychologist in the community" of the Psychology course at PUC Minas - Campus Coração Eucarístico, in which the main objective is to perform psychosocial accompaniment with families in a socially vulnerable situation in the community of Vila Cemig, located in the region of Barreiro in the city of Belo Horizonte. The present report was developed after a couple of interns carried out weekly, and later fortnightly, during two semesters with a family that, with the purpose of preserving the identities of its com-position, will be called Mendes. The practice was carried out through the approach of Communitarian Social Psychology, and the positioning of the trainees was based mainly on the discussions of Bader Sawaia (2009) and Carla Bronzo (2009), through readings, weekly meetings with the supervising teacher and support from the then trainees' monitors. The main results were achieved through the practice based on affection, gru-pal practice and partnership work with the network of public network equipment and community leaders, through which it was possible to identify the potentialities present in families in vulnerable situations and overcome them, by building actions with the community in order to strengthen the bonds and affections existing in it and stimulate new ones. For the trainees, this experience was a great learning and growth, both personal and professional, representing a reference of professional exercise based on the Social Commitment of Psychology.