This article proposes a reflection on social identity and subjectivity based on research carried out among artisanal fishers from Colony Z-7, in Itaipu, Niterói, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, taking into consideration the significant number of individuals residing in this community who have been diagnosed by the public health service as suffering from depression, panic attacks and other psychic disorders. In this article, the states of depression, anxiety and other psychic disturbances will be considered as expressions of subjectivity and denominated heartaches. The different approaches regarding these subjects, found in medical literature, are recognized and this aspect will be mentioned throughout the article. However, the central objective is to understand the heartaches as an important category that can aid in the comprehension of reality and the complexity of contemporary life and its social and environmental transformations.
social identity; subjectivity; complexity; social and environment transformations