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Psychology and human services in Cuba: Personal perspectives
Author(s) -
Lowenthal Alan S.,
Danson Carl,
Lowenthal Bonnie B.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198504)13:2<105::aid-jcop2290130203>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - incentive , community psychology , work (physics) , public relations , social work , psychology , human services , sociology , political science , social psychology , engineering , mechanical engineering , law , economics , microeconomics
Through a series of meetings with Cuban social scientists, an analysis of the development and practices of psychology and related human services was attempted. Interviews were held at a medical school, at a local community health clinic, at a residential treatment facility and at one of the two universities in Cuba offering a degree program in psychology. The interviews revealed a network of interrelationships between: (a) work performance and a complex material and moral incentive system, where the workers played an active role in evaluating and modulating the system; (b) the health delivery system and its targeted community members, where services are adapted to the needs of the community; and (c) individuals and their neighborhoods, where local organizations are the mechanisms for community participation. It was concluded that a prime characteristic of Cuban society is to change the very nature of the relationships between people and their social institutions. Since community participation in social services is a growing concern within our own country, the Cuban system may provide reference points of note.