Jacques Lacan (1901-1981)

Professional Life
Jacques Lacan was born on April 13, 1901 in Paris. He studied psychiatry at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris and underwent his psychoanalysis during his late twenties. He received his license to practice psychiatry in 1931 and received national recognition for his thesis. Soon after, he joined the Psychoanalytical Society of Paris. Lacan first revealed his Mirror Stage theories to the public in 1936, when he delivered a report to the Psychoanalytical Association. Although his speech was interrupted and no record was kept, it was the first public mention of his theory that would later gain world-wide recognition.

Lacan joined the French army in 1940 and soon after the war ended, resumed his affiliation with the Psychoanalytical Society. Throughout the years, there was much professional disagreement between psychoanalytical societies, mostly due to the teachings of Sigmund Freud. Lacan termed his theories as a “return to Freud” which directly differed from many of his colleagues’ views at the time. Lacan had a very loyal following, and his students flocked to his lectures on philosophy, psychology, and psychiatry.

Contribution to Psychology
Similar to Sigmund Freud, Lacan believed in three states of consciousness:

1. The Real
   
2. The Imaginary
   
3. The Symbolic
   

Lacan agreed with Freud in that sexual desire was manifested through dreams and creative expression and was intertwined with every area of life. But it was Lacan’s mirror stages that differed from Freud’s developmental stages. Lacan believed that children saw their external worlds as mirrors of themselves during infancy. This theory of mirror stage later evolved to represent the overall development of a child’s personality, perceptions, and behaviors.

Lacan believed that children begin to recognize their own reflections at infancy, thus developing their sense of self and identity from the mirror image they see. However, other psychologists disputed this theory, stating that if the mirror theory was valid, people with limited sight would face developmental challenges as a result of not being able to view their own reflections. Lacan knew that his mirror theory differed greatly from Freudian views of the time, but claimed that mirroring directly influenced the development of human subjectivity.

According to Lacan, the mirror stage gives birth to the Ego. It is during this stage when a child realizes, through its own reflection, that it is a whole person. Unable to master full control over limbs and actions, the child begins to experience separation from self, and struggle with self, leading to internal aggression and depression. These emotions contribute to the development of the Ego.

The mirror stage involves a state of misunderstanding for the child resulting in a process of alienation, which leads the child into an imaginary state. The child begins to see another reflection of himself, known as the big Other, in the adult caretaker, parent, or provider, responsible for his well-being. In symbolic behavior, the child will turn toward this big Other, as if turning toward himself, to find wholeness in the disjointed image he sees during this stage.

Lacan’s primary theories revolved around the imaginary, the symbolic, and the real, but he explored many other facets of development as well, including theories relating to the father figure, inner drives, and desires. His mirror stage theory remains the most well-known and highly debated of all his contributions to psychology.