Difference between revisions of "Introduction: Imaginary"
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+ | For Lacan the imaginary is one fo the three orders that structure human existence, the others being the symbolic and the real. | ||
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+ | In the mirror stage, the hcild identifies with the specular iamge, and this inaugurates the series of identifications that will consturct the [[ego]]. | ||
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+ | The child is literally captivated by a specular other thanks to an identification which is also an alienation. | ||
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+ | The imaginary is thus the realm in which self and other merge, and in which identity is grounded in a mere semblance of unity. | ||
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+ | The imaginary is not a stage which is overcome or transcended, and is a cosntant presence in the lives of human subjects. | ||
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[[Lacan]]'s concept of the [[Imaginary]] first appeared in his [[{{Y}}|1936]] [[Jacques Lacan:Bibliography|paper]] "[[The Mirror Stage]]". | [[Lacan]]'s concept of the [[Imaginary]] first appeared in his [[{{Y}}|1936]] [[Jacques Lacan:Bibliography|paper]] "[[The Mirror Stage]]". |
Revision as of 06:48, 23 October 2006
For Lacan the imaginary is one fo the three orders that structure human existence, the others being the symbolic and the real.
The child is literally captivated by a specular other thanks to an identification which is also an alienation. The imaginary is thus the realm in which self and other merge, and in which identity is grounded in a mere semblance of unity. The imaginary is not a stage which is overcome or transcended, and is a cosntant presence in the lives of human subjects.
It arises with the mirror stage but extends far into the adult individual's experience of others and of the external world.
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