Difference between revisions of "Narcissism"
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It is erotic in that the [[subject]] is strongly attracted to the [[gestalt]] that is his [[image]]. | It is erotic in that the [[subject]] is strongly attracted to the [[gestalt]] that is his [[image]]. | ||
| − | [[Narcissism]] is the | + | [[Narcissism]] is the erotic attraction to the [[specular image]]. |
Such attraction underlies the primary [[identification]] by which the [[ego]] is formed in the [[mirror stage]]. | Such attraction underlies the primary [[identification]] by which the [[ego]] is formed in the [[mirror stage]]. | ||
Revision as of 23:47, 30 July 2006
The term "narcissism" (Fr. narcissisme) first appears in Freud's work in 1910, but it is not until his work "On narcissism: an introduction"[1] that the concept begins to play a central role in psychoanalytic theory.
The concept of 'narcissism' begins to play a central role in psychoanalytic theory.
From this point on, Freud defines narcissism are the investment of libido in the ego, and opposes it to object-love, in which libido is invested in objects.
Lacan attributes great importance to this phase in Freud's work, since it clearly inscribes the ego as an object of the libidinal economy, and links the birth of the ego to the narcissistic stage of development.
Narcissism is different from the prior stage of autoeroticism (in which the ego does not exist as a unity), and only comes about when "a new psychical action" gives birth ot the ego.
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Lacan develops Freud's concept by linking it more explicitly with its namesake, the myth of Narcissus.
Lacan thus defines narcissism as the erotic attraction to the specular image; this erotic relation underlies the primary identification by which the ego is formed in the mirror stage.
Narcissism has both an erotic character and an aggressive character.
It is erotic, as the myth of Narcissus shows, since the subject is strongly attracted to the gestalt that is his image.
It is aggressive, since the wholeness of the specular image contrasts with the uncoordinated disunity of the subject's real body, and thus seems to threaten the subject with disintegration.
In "Remarks on psychic causality,"[2]Lacan coins the term "Narcissistic suicidal aggression" (aggression suicidaire narcissique) to express the fact that the erotic-aggressive character of the narcissistic infautation with the specular image can lead the subject to self-destruction (as the myth of Narcissus also illustrates.[3]
The narcissistic relation constitutes the imaginary dimension of human relationships.[4]
'Narcissism' is used by Sigmund Freud to describe the investment of libido in the ego.
The narcissistic stage of development inscribes the ego as an object of the libidinal economy.
Lacan makes narcissism an even more central aspect of the human psyche, aligning it with the imaginary order, one of the three major structures of the psyche (along with the Real and the symbolic order).
Lacan expands upon Freud's concept, linking it more explicitly with its namesake, the myth of Narcissus.
Narcissism has both an erotic and an aggressive character.
It is erotic in that the subject is strongly attracted to the gestalt that is his image.
Narcissism is the erotic attraction to the specular image. Such attraction underlies the primary identification by which the ego is formed in the mirror stage.
It is aggressive in that the 'wholeness' of the specular image, undermined by the uncoordinated disunity of the subject’s real body, seems to threaten the subject with disintegration.
The narcissistic relation (with the specular image) constitutes the imaginary dimension of human relationships.[5]
See Also
References
- ↑ Freud 1914c
- ↑ Lacan. 1946
- ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.187; Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.174
- ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book III. The Psychoses, 1955-56. Trans. Russell Grigg. London: Routledge, 1993. p.92
- ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book III. The Psychoses, 1955-56. Trans. Russell Grigg. London: Routledge, 1993. p.92
