PUBLIC POLICIES FOR SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS: questions about demand, desire, user, citizen and subject

Abstract

This paper has emerged from concerns with the words subject, user, citizen, desire and demand, which are regularly used in the field of social assistance. In the light of Psychoanalysis, the aim is to analyze the way that those terms have emerged and been articulated in two documents involving practices by Psychology professionals in the sphere of the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS): the National Policy for Social Assistance, and the Technical Note on Parameters for the performance of Psychology professionals in the Unified Social Assistance System. From both the number of times and the context in which those words appear, one can know possible meanings attributed to them. Subsequently, the paper problematizes the conditions found by Psychology professionals to provide those seeking for the service with a place they can express more than their demands, thus favoring the acknowledgement of the subjects in their desiring condition.