The International of the Forums

Introduction

The International of the Forums unites the activities of the Forums of the Lacanian Field. The forums first arose out of the dissolution, in 1980, of the School of Lacan, the EFP (École freudienne de Paris). Their main purpose was to support a School of psychoanalysis which would guarantee the study of psychoanalysis and orient its practice. The School was created in Paris, in December 2001, at the time of the Second Meeting of the International of the Forums.

The forums insure the existence and effects of analytic discourse in our century, by maintaining links with health care institutions, with social and political practices that confront the symptoms of our time, and with other theoretical practices (science, philosophy, art and religion) that imply the subject.

The School of Psychoanalysis of the Forums of the Lacanian Field, oriented by the teachings of Freud and Lacan, has as its specific objective a return to the goals of the School of Lacan: the maintenance of the elaboration and the transmission of psychoanalysis ; the examination of its foundations; the formation of analysts; the guarantee of their qualifications and the quality of their practice.

The IF-EPFCL is in full agreement with the clinical Formations of the Lacanian field, specifically the clinical groups whose teachings are devoted to the theory of clinical analysis, the examination of its foundation and the implications for practice.

Position of the IF 

The animated debates that have taken place in France and Italy on the question of marriage between homosexuals and their right to adoption are a sign of the constant evolution of societies as regards the social organization of the family.

On the basis of these developments each society defines its norms regarding the social organization of the family and of the sexual orientation of individuals.

When the political power is called upon to legislate on these matters, it seeks the views of those that it considers to be specialists in the area.

At such a time the psychoanalyst may be invited to enlighten the choice of the legislator.

If he responds, he does so only on a personal capacity, assuming all the concomitant risks.

Whatever his particular position might be, he cannot compromise the School of which he is a member.

In effect, psychoanalysis does not support any norm, be it social or sexual, and it does not support any practice that might be called 'outside the norm'. Psychoanalysis considers that it cannot favour a particular form of organization of the family based on the argument that it would be superior to another one, and it cannot be against any form of sexual orientation, whatever this might be.

The norm and consequently the aforesaid normality are not criteria that orient analytic treatment, which receives any subject that requests it without a priori criteria, with the goal of finding a solution to his suffering by elucidating the torment of his symptoms.