This paper proposes a reflection on the application of the psychoanalytic principles in institutional devices, carried out from the review of some texts guided by the interest of spreading psychoanalysis and the building of response actions regarding the cultural discontent and the social symptoms derived from it. The conclusions point to the reflection on the concept of institution and its implications to the analytic action in institutional scenes; the discussion on analytic efficacy and therapeutic efficacy; and the invitation to privilege the ethical principles over the implementation of standardized techniques.