Captation

From No Subject

French: captation

[edit] Origin of the Term

The French substantive captation is a neologism coined by French psychoanalysts from the verb capter.^[1]

[edit] Jacques Lacan

It was adopted by Jacques Lacan in 1948 and occurs regularly in his work from this point on.

[edit] Imaginary Effects of the Specular Image

Lacan uses the term captation to describe the imaginary effects of the specular image on the subject.^[2]

The double sense of the French term nicely indicates the ambiguous nature of the power of the specular image:

• On the one hand, it conveys the sense of "captivation," thus expressing the fascinating, seductive power of the image.

• On the other hand, the term also conveys the idea of "capture," which evokes the more sinister power of the image to imprison the subject in a disabling fixation.

[edit] See Also

Imaginary Specular image

Seduction Subject

[edit] References