Imaginary

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French: imaginaire
German: Imaginäre

In the work of Jacques Lacan, the real, the symbolic, and the imaginary are a central set of references. The imaginary is the field of the ego.

Jacques Lacan

History

Lacan's use of the term "imaginary" as a substantive dates back to 1936.[1] The term relates to the dual relation between the ego and the specular image. From 1953 on, the imaginary becomes one of the three orders which constitute the tripartite scheme at the centre of Lacanian thought, being opposed to the symbolic and the real.

Ego

The imaginary order is based on the formation of the ego in the mirror stage. The ego is formed by identifying with the counterpart or specular image. Thus, identification is an important aspect of the imaginary order.

  1. Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p. 81