Thinking transformation: Children and their families in the digital age

The article examines transformations induced by the technological revolution, from the viewpoints of both mental function in children and young people and the type of social adaptation schemes fostered by the environment. The characteristics of virtual communication modify the subject’s relationship to desire and lack, conditions that are prerequisites to the formation of thought and contribute to the creation of new forms of identity. The presentation of the clinical case of a teenage boy shows the impact of these processes in the analyst’s office, as well. It suggests a reflection on the changes underway in psychotherapeutic techniques to adjust to emerging new psychological configurations.