COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FROM THE PERSPECT IVE OF SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY

The importance of citizen participation, especially community particip ation is evidenced by its inclusion as a methodology of citizen co-int ervention in die national plans of countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela. As a fact, given the economic tile e conomic, social and political crisis which Latin American is experienc ing, and the necessary reforms imposed on the traditional paternalisti c state, citizen participation is recommended by international develop ment agencies, as the methodology of citizen cointervention that guara ntees the efficiency of those social policies which are vital to the p opulation. Citizen participation, nevertheless is a very complex behav ior that requires knowledge about the factors affecting both its begin ning as well as its maintenance. Our work in Caracas's marginal areas, has made us realize that the positivist scientific methodology,presen ting serious limitations. Hence we have begun a work program in which we intend establishing and trying out new epistemological and methodol ogical criteria in order to define an alternative methodology for the study of citizen participation.