Communication

communication (communication) Most theories of communication

   offered by modern linguistics      are characterised by two important features.

   Firstly, they usually involve      a reference to the category of intentionality,

   which is conceived of as coterminous with consciousness (e.g. Blakemore,

   1992: 33). Secondly, they represent communication as a simple process in

   which   a message is      sent by   one person (the addresser) to another (the

   addressee) (e.g. Jakobson, 1960: 21).

       However, both these features are put into question by the specific experience

   of communication in psychoanalytic treatment. Firstly, SPEECH is revealed to

   possess an intentionality that goes beyond conscious purpose. Secondly, the

   speaker's message is seen to be not merely directed at another but also at

   himself; 'in human speech the sender is always a receiver at the same time'

   (S3, 24). Putting these two points together, it can be said that the part of the

   speaker's message which is addressed to himself is the unconscious intention

   behind the message. When speaking to the analyst, the analysand is also

addressing a message to himself, but is not aware of this. The task of the

analyst is to enable the analysand to hear the message he is unconsciously

addressing to himself; by interpreting the analysand's words, the analyst

permits the analysand's message to return to him in its true, unconscious

dimension. Hence Lacan defines analytic communication as the act whereby

   'the sender receives his own message from the receiver in an inverted form'

(Ec, 41).