The Institute of Complexity Studies and the Question of Social Responsibility

Abstract

This article describes the context of emergence of the Social Clinic of the Institute of Complexity Studies ( Instituto de Estudos da Complexidade, IEC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and presents the purposes and principles of the Clinic. Defined as an anti-utilitarian space, the IEC offers psychoanalysis to the economically disadvantaged. The IEC also offers elements of psychoanalytic training to disadvantaged professionals. We discuss some of the institutional processes and mechanisms of IEC, which have resulted from a collective engagement of over two decades. We also explore some important resonances between psychoanalysis and complexity thinking.