DIALECTIC BETWEEN ACTIVE MINORITIES AND MAJORITIES - A STUDY OF SOCIAL-INFLUENCE IN THE COMMUNITY

This article presents a theoretical explanation of the dialectic betwe en active minorities and majorities within a community based on our ex perience of psychosocial community practice. When assessing needs it i s usual to detect contradictions between perceptions of problems by co mmunity members and the feelings they express about them. This gap est ablishes the differences between community needs as estimated by exper ts and those felt by the people. It also has a delaying and paralyzing effect for the participants. It is contended that the processes of na turalization and habituation are responsible this phenomenon, their id eological nature leading to accept what is Problematic as the ''way th ings are.'' Consciousness-raising and problematization are a way to ov ercome these contradictions, and through them, community organizations may become active minorities. However, contrary to what the study of social influence argues, this does not mean that the active minority a lways will move the majority, or vice versa; but there is a dialectic between them, in which power, understood as a relationship, plays a ba sic role. The notions of psychologization, denial, and conversion are analyzed to explain the tension produced and how it affects the percep tion of needs and the community's reaction to them. (C) 1998 John Wile y & Sons, Inc.