Since 1987 we have been using our expertise in the fields of psychology and social science to study and analyze the changes occurring in contemporary society. A great deal of our work focuses on phenomena such as social hardship, marginalization, deviance, discrimination and racism not only because tending to those in need is inherent from a clinical perspective but also because we feel a strong commitment from a social and ethical point of view. When we first started dealing with these social phenomena the psychoanalytic paradigm was still culturally dominant. Now, after many years, although the innovative capacity of psychoanalysis seems to have diminished, it is evident that many of the concepts it introduced are still widely recognized. During the past thirty years the world has changed considerably: phenomena which were only just starting to emerge, such as immigration, have now become structural; families are now configured in ways which were unimaginable in the past; certain sexual behaviors, although still widely stigmatized, have now gained a facade of tolerance; the revolution in communications and travel has completely changed the world. And yet, the tragedy of social and individual suffering is continuously being renewed. We are forever having to witness the humiliation of people stripped of their dignity, situations of unacceptable poverty, stolen childhoods and the constant struggle of the educational and rehabilitative services. Thus, it is necessary, using various theoretical approaches, to regard the complexity of these phenomena. Psychoanalysis for example, when it does not slip into a merely conciliatory and consoling dimension but maintains its explanatory power, is capable of just that, looking into the Acheron of human destinies. We have been able to put all this into practice thanks to a multitude of National and European projects covering a variety of issues such as; juvenile unrest, immigration and integration policies, deviance and the justice systems, education and the battle against school dropout, voluntary work and active citizenship. Working on these projects has allowed us to come into contact and collaborate with colleagues from other research institutes and universities, people from whom we have learned greatly and with whom we have, in some cases, also formed strong bonds. Registered as a Private Research Institute at the MIUR, the National Education, University and Research Ministry, we operate both in Italy and in Europe with local, regional and National public administrations, universities and public and private research centers.

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