The idea of the mirror stage is an important early component in lacans critical reinterpretation of the work of freud. Lacan accorded paramount importance to what is said and posited parallels between the structure of language and the unconscious. I think it nevertheless worthwhile to bring it again to your attention, especially today, for the light that it sheds on the formation of the i as we experience it in psychoanalysis. He studied medicine, specializing in psychiatry, and received his doctorate in psychiatry in 1932. This concept corresponds to the mirror stage see the lacan module on psychosexual development and marks the movement of the subject from primal need to what lacan terms demand. He presented a paper on the mirror stage on august 3, 1936, at a conference of the international psychoanalytical association in marienbad. Jacques lacan 19011981 it would be fair to say that there are few twentieth century thinkers who have had such a farreaching influence on subsequent intellectual life in the humanities as jacques lacan.
Lacan refers to this conference in the first sentence of the essay. He began to train as a psychoanalyst sometime around 1934. Defending lacan from his numerous detractors, past and present, bailly guides the reader through lacans canon, from lobjet petit a to the mirror stage and beyond. This is intended as an aide for students of literary criticism, to make it easier for them to comprehend a source often considered. Pdf lacan ebooks includes pdf, epub and kindle version. The key observation of lacans essay concerns the behaviour of infants between. Lacans construction and deconstruction of the double. For lacan, the mirror stage establishes the ego as fundamentally dependent upon external objects, on an other.
But this form is even tangibly revealed at the organic level, in the lines of fragiliza tion that define the anatomy of phantasy, as exhibited in the schizoid and spasmodic symptoms of hysteria. The mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience by. Apr 22, 2016 home literary criticism lacans concept of mirror stage. The mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic. Jacques lacan, the mirror stage free download as pdf file.
Although it may seem strange at first to analyze mary shelleys frankenstein from a psychoanalytic perspective, the founder of psychoanalysis, sigmund freud, and french psychoanalyst jacques lacan theories of the mirror stage and the oedipal complex enable frankenstein to be read as a novel embracing psychoanalytic theories. His teachings and writings explore the significance of freuds discovery of the. Jacques lacan complicated his position on the gaze as he developed his theories. Sep 22, 2016 in this video, i explore the theory behind psychoanalyst jacques lacan s the mirror stage. The mirror stage is a concept in the psychoanalytic theory of jacques lacan. Since art imitates life, an in depth exploration of the way that these scenes play out can illuminate how lacans abstract theories might look in the real life formation of identity and in malefemale relations. The mirrorphase as formative of the function of the i. The mirror stage is based on the belief that infants recognize themselves in a mirror literal or other symbolic contraption which induces apperception from the age of about six months. This is usually seen as the main text on the mirror stage theory, but there. Thus, somehow, the effect of lacans text on his stu. The seminar of jacques lacan, book x seminar of jacques lacan. This first part looks at the presentation of the mirror stage as we find it in the ecrits, specifically in the 1949 paper, the mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience. The mirror stage as formative of the function 79 metaphors for which arise spontaneously, as if deriving from the subjects very symptoms, to designate the mechanisms of obsessive neurosis. Lacans first official contribution to psychoanalysis was the mirror stage, which he described as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic.
A largerthanlife provocateur, lacans oracular lectures and clinical innovations including the notorious short session ultimately led to his excommunication from the international psychoanalytic association. Introduction to jacques lacan, module on psychosexual development 2. The mirror stage is based on the belief that infants recognize themselves in a mirror literal or other symbolic contraption which induces apperception the turning of oneself into an object that can be viewed by the child from outside themselves from the age of about six months. Introduction to jacques lacan, module on the structure of. Jacques lacan has 103 books on goodreads with 24556 ratings. Delivered at the 16th international congress of psychoanalysis, zurich, july 17, 1949 the conception of the mirror stage that i introduced. Lacans conception of the mirror stage has been called his most famous and significant contribution to the field of psychoanalysis. Jacques marie emile lacan 1901 1981 was a french psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. The mirror stage as formative of the function of the i no. In the early stages of his career, from 192653, lacan progressed from conventional psychiatric treatment to gradual inclusion of clinical psychoanalysis.
Lacans concept of mirror stage by nasrullah mambrol on april 22, 2016 5 lacans reinterpretation of freud, with the central focus on language, brought about a poststructuralist turn to psychoanalytic theory. Its also essential reading for anyone interested in lacan due to the prevalence of the mirror stage s concepts found throughout his entire oeuvre. But were i to build on these subjective data alonewere i to so. The student anticipates in the early texts the maturation of lacan s teachings. Many of the arguments lacan uses here are foreshadowed in the freudian thing or the meaning of the return to freud in psychoanalysis. This first part looks at the presentation of the mirror stage as we find it in the ecrits, specifically in the 1949 paper, the mirror stage as formative of the function. Pdf is lacans theory of the mirror stage still valid.
French psychiatrist jacques lacan 1901 1981 tried to provide a philosophical basis for freudianism, which gained him prestige in his native land. According to lacan, in the mirror stage, the subject anticipates in a mirage the maturation of his power ecrits, pp. Selfrecognition in the mirror, which precedes language acquisition, occurs for the child between the ages of 6 and 8 months, and occurs in three stages 20. The conception of the mirrorphase which i introduced at our last congress, years ago, has since become more or less established in the. In the 1950s jacques lacan developed a device with a concave mirror and a plane mirror figure figure1 1 in order to discuss the nature of human identification and formulate ideas on how psychoanalysis, qua clinical practice, responds to identification. Jacques marie emile lacan april, 1901 to september 9, 1981 was a major figure in parisian intellectual life for much of the twentieth century. Drawing on work in physiology and animal psychology, lacan proposes that human infants pass through a stage in which an external image of the body reflected in a mirror, or represented to the infant through. According to zuernt, we might say that the patient comes to terms with desire.
These are the sources and citations used to research mirror stage. Jacques lacan jacques lacan19011981\the mirror stage. Lacans reinterpretation of freud, with the central focus on language, brought about a poststructuralist turn to psychoanalytic theory. Lacan s reinterpretation of freud, with the central focus on language, brought about a poststructuralist turn to psychoanalytic theory. Jacques lacan, the mirrorphase as formative of the function. Jun 10, 2016 jacques lacan was frances most famous psychoanalyst, who came up with the intriguing concept of the mirror phase. The presence of jacques lacans mirror stage and gaze in.
In other words, this recognition of the selfs image precedes the entrance into language, after which the subject can understand the place of that image of the self within a larger social order, in which the subject must negotiate his or her relationship with others. It happens through the identification with the mirror and with the other. One the mirror stage as formative of the function of the i page 1 7. Drawing on work in physiology and animal psychology, lacan proposes that human infants pass through a stage in which an external image of the body reflected in a mirror, or represented to the infant through the mother or primary caregiver produces a psychic. The mirror stage from the fifteenth century to the imaginary zenith of modern man. Lacans concept of mirror stage by nasrullah mambrol on april 22, 2016 5. The conception of the mirror stage i introduced at our last congress thirteen years ago, having. Jacquesmarieemile lacan was a french psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and doctor, who made prominent contributions to the psychoanalytic movement. This ego ideal, for lacan, provides an image of wholeness which constitutes the ego. Home literary criticism lacans concept of mirror stage. In this paper i first examine lacans doublemirror device, also called the optical. Appearances notwithstanding, the ego is, when all is said and done, an inert. Drawing on work in physiology and animal psychology, lacan proposes that human infants pass through a stage in which an external image of the body reflected in a mirror. His yearly seminars, conducted in paris from 1953 until his death in 1981, were a major influence in the french intellectual milieu of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly among poststructuralist thinkers.
His books and ideas had a significant impact on critical theory, literary theory, philosophy, sociology, feminist theory, film theory and clinical psychoanalysis. Lacans article the mirror stage as formative of the i 1936, 1949 lays out the parameters of a doctrine that he never foreswore, and which has subsequently become something of a poststructuralist mantra. Theresa thompson english 7010 spring 2011 jacques lacan. However, at least at this phase, lacan is perfectly comparable to modern theories on the genesis of the self and the mirror stage. The mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as. Jacques lacan, the mirrorphase as formative of the. The psychoanalyst jacques lacan 19011981 was one of the twentieth centurys most influential thinkers. The mirror stage jacques lacan 19011981 jacques lacan was born in paris on april, 1901. The mirror stages deals with the ability of a 618 months old infant to be able to recognize itself in the mirror before developing his motor or speech skills. Doc summary of lacans the mirror stage as formative of. Mirror stage psychology bibliographies cite this for me.
Mirror stage is to be understood as the prelinguistic identification of the subject with the image although the image is itself a fiction. Mirror stage and instance of the letter the mirror stage the. His theories and research have immensely benefitted critical theory, french philosophy, sociology, feminist theory, literary theory, film theory and clinical psychoanalysis. Lacan, jacques internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Jacques lacan was a french psychoanalyst, 1901 1981. The idea of the mirror stage is an important early component in lacans reinterpretation of the work of freud. Jacques lacan was a renowned philosopher and an extremely controversial psychoanalyst, who ranked amongst the most notable academics of parisian society during the 20 th century.
The mirror stage as formative function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience. Pdf the mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as. This does not necessarily mean that the theories are compatible. Lacan s first official contribution to psychoanalysis was the mirror stage, which he described as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience. Translated by alan sheridan with a foreword by malcolm bowie. This is a summary of the version of lacan s paper presented in the norton anthology of theory and criticism, 2001. Yet, despite these departures from analytic orthodoxy. As in freud, this is formed through an external force.
Jacques lacan and the other side of psychoanalysis. If you like our films, take a look at our shop we ship worldwide. Lacan can account for this through his analysis of the mirror stage. Jacques lacan jacques lacan19011981\the mirror stage as. Thus, somehow, the effect of lacan s text on his stu. Pdf my intention in this article is to evaluate lacans theory of the mirror. The mirror stage is based on the belief that infants recognize themselves in a mirror literal or other symbolic contraption which induces apperception the turning of oneself into an object that can be viewed by the child from outside themselves from the age of about six. Lacans return to the meaning of freud profoundly changed the institutional face of the psychoanalytic movement internationally. Jan 17, 2007 the psychoanalyst jacques lacan 19011981 was one of the twentieth centurys most influential thinkers. The idea of the mirror stage is an important early component in lacan s critical reinterpretation of the work of freud. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on wednesday, may 17, 2017. At first, gazing was important in his theories in relation to the mirror stage, where the subject appears to achieve a sense of mastery by seeing himself as ideal ego. In 1936, lacan formulated his theory of the mirror stage, and he published several articles and papers explaining the significance and development of this subject.
In his paper titled mirror stage 1949, lacan expounds. The mirror stage is based on the belief that infants. In his paper titled mirror stage 1949, lacan expounds the concept of the mirror stage that. Lacans ideas about the formation of the i developed over time in conjunction with his other elaborations of freudian theory. As the connection to the mirror stage suggests, the imaginary is primarily narcissistic even though it sets the stage for the fantasies of desire. In his paper titled mirror stage 1949, lacan expounds the concept of the mirror stage that occurs between 618 months of a childs development. Introduction to jacques lacan, module on psychosexual development. Introduction to jacques lacan, module on the structure of the. First, i will expose what appears to be the essence of lacans mirror stage.
This is the first of two articles looking at the theory of the mirror stage in lacan s work. The principal categories of lacanian psychoanalysis in the structuring of the psyche are the imaginary, the symbolic, and the real. The image itself in the mirror is described by lacan as the ideali lacan, mirror, 2. Lacans concept of mirror stage literary theory and criticism.
Trained as a psychiatrist, he abandoned the profession in favour of psychoanalysis in the early thirties. Through the mirror image the child is introduced into the imaginary order. Drawing on work in physiology and animal psychology, lacan proposes that. Owen hewitson september, 2010 what does lacan say about this is the first of two articles looking at the theory of the mirror stage in lacans work. I am led, therefore, to regard the function of the mirrorstage as a particular case of the function of the imago, which is to establish a relation. Jacques lacan always insisted that he was a thoroughgoing freudianperhaps the most orthodox freudian of them all. May 17, 2017 these are the sources and citations used to research mirror stage. By the early 1950s, he came to regard the mirror stage as more than a moment in the life of the infant. Such facts are inscribed in an order of homeomorphic identification which would itself. As the socalled individual matures and enters into social relations through language, this other will be elaborated within social and linguistic frameworks that will give each subjects personality and his or her neuroses and. Robert louis stevenson, jacques lacan, rouben mamoulian, strange case.
Lacan s conception of the mirror stage has been called his most famous and significant contribution to the field of psychoanalysis. The conception of the mirror phase which i introduced at our last congress, thirteen years ago, has since become more or less established in the practice of the french group. Including coverage of developments in lacanian psychoanalysis since his death, this is the perfect introduction to the great modern theorist. Lacans concept of mirror stage literary theory and. T he conception of the mirror phase which i introduced at our last congress, years ago, has since become more or less established in the practice of the french group. Sometimes referred to as the french freud, he is an important figure in the history of psychoanalysis. The mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience. Published in 1936, the mirror stage was lacans first formal contribution to the field of psychoanalysis. In this video, i explore the theory behind psychoanalyst jacques lacans the mirror stage. Lacan s ideas about the formation of the i developed over time in conjunction with his other elaborations of freudian theory. This is the first of two articles looking at the theory of the mirror stage in lacans work.
After publishing his paper on the mirror stage in 1949, for which he is probably best known to the general public, in the early fifties lacan embarked on a project he called the return. The student anticipates in the early texts the maturation of lacans teachings. The idea of the mirror stage is an important early component in lacans critical. To stay at this more general metapsychological level for a little while longer, lacan eventually forges, partly on the basis of the mirror stage, a distinction between the ego moi and the subject sujet, a word freighted with philosophical baggagelacan knowingly adds this word and its philosophical vocabulary to analytic discourse, although freud did not speak of the subject and was wary of philosophy. Its also essential reading for anyone interested in lacan due to the prevalence of the mirror. A primordial form of i is formed, as lacan notes, before it is objectified by. Jacques lacan 19011981 the mirror stage as formative of the function of the i as revealed in psychoanalytic experience delivered at the 16th international congress of psychoanalysis, zurich, july 17, 1949 discussion questions 1. By viewing himself in the mirror, the subject at the mirror stage begins his entrance into culture and language by establishing his. Mirror stage artikel zum spiegelstadium bei no subject encyclopedia for lacanian psychoanalysis.
1459 1150 1014 538 888 743 467 1558 114 269 847 1483 355 829 212 661 208 789 1311 1487 28 1306 242 1199 155 57 1145 800 322 453 245 449 1266 1011 1210 942