Difference between revisions of "Neurosis"
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| + | The term '[[neurosis]]' (''névrose'') is used in [[psychoanalysis]] to describe a whole range of nervous disorders. | ||
| + | For [[Lacan]], the term '[[neurosis]]' refers not to a set of [[symptoms]] but to a particular [[clinical structure]]. | ||
| + | [[Lacan]] identifies three [[clinical structure]]s: [[neurosis]], [[psychosis]] and [[perversion]]. | ||
| + | There is no position of 'mental health' which could be called normal. | ||
| + | The normal structure, in the sense of that which is found in the statistical majority of the population, is [[neurosis]]. | ||
| + | 'Mental health' is an illusory idea of wholeness which can neve rbe attained because the [[subject]] is essentially [[split]]. | ||
| + | Thus, whereas [[Freud]] sees [[neurosis]] as an illness that can be cured, [[Lacan]] sees [[neurosis]] as a [[structure]] that cannot be altered. | ||
| + | The aim of [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalytic]] t[[treatment]] is therefore not the eradication of the [[neurosis]] but the modification of the [[subject]]'s position ''vis-a-vis'' the [[neurosis]]. | ||
| + | According to [[Lacan]], "the structure of a neurosis is essentially a question."<ref>S3. 174</ref> | ||
| + | [[Neurosis]] "is a question that being poses for the subject."<ref>E. 168</ref> | ||
| + | The two forms of [[neurosis]] ([[hysteria]] and [[obsessional neurosis]]) are distinguished by the content of the question. | ||
| + | The question of the [[hysteria|hysteric]] ('Am I a man or a woman?') relates to one's [[sex]], whereas the question of [[obsessional neurosis]] ('To be or not to be?') relates to the contingency of one's own [[existence]]. | ||
| + | These two questions (the [[hysteria|hysterical]] question about [[sexual identity]], and the [[obsessional neurosis|obsessional]] question about [[death]]/[[existence]]) "are as it happens the two ultimate questions that have precisely no solution in the signifier. This is what gives neurotics their existential values.<ref>S3. p.190</ref> | ||
| + | At times [[Lacan]] lists [[phobia]] as a [[neurosis]] alonside [[hysteria]] and [[obsessional neurosis]], thus raising the question of whether there are not two but three forms of [[neurosis]].<ref>E p.168</ref> | ||
Neurosis is a pathological mental condition in which the patient is awre of the morbidity of his or her condition and it can, unlike psychosis, bne treated with the patient's consent. | Neurosis is a pathological mental condition in which the patient is awre of the morbidity of his or her condition and it can, unlike psychosis, bne treated with the patient's consent. | ||
Neurosis is a condition in which somatic symptoms are an expression of a psychical conflict originating in childhood. | Neurosis is a condition in which somatic symptoms are an expression of a psychical conflict originating in childhood. | ||
Patients presenting obsessional, phobic or hysterical symptoms are neurotic. | Patients presenting obsessional, phobic or hysterical symptoms are neurotic. | ||
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The formation of behavioral or psychosomatic symptoms as a result of the return of the repressed. A neurosis represents an instance where the ego's efforts to deal with its desires through repression, displacement, etc. fail: "A person only falls ill of a neurosis if his ego has lost the capacity to allocate his libido in some way" (Introductory Lectures 16.387). The failure of the ego and the increased insistence of the libido lead to symptoms that are as bad or worse than the conflict they are designed to replace. This term should be carefully distinguished from psychosis. | The formation of behavioral or psychosomatic symptoms as a result of the return of the repressed. A neurosis represents an instance where the ego's efforts to deal with its desires through repression, displacement, etc. fail: "A person only falls ill of a neurosis if his ego has lost the capacity to allocate his libido in some way" (Introductory Lectures 16.387). The failure of the ego and the increased insistence of the libido lead to symptoms that are as bad or worse than the conflict they are designed to replace. This term should be carefully distinguished from psychosis. | ||
| + | ==See Also== | ||
| + | * [[Hysteria]] | ||
| + | * [[Obsessional neurosis]] | ||
| + | * [[phobia]] | ||
| + | * [[structure]] | ||
| + | * [[symptom]] | ||
| − | + | ==References== | |
| − | == References == | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Neurosis]] |
| + | [[Category:Treatment]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Psychoanalysis]] | ||
[[Category:Terms]] | [[Category:Terms]] | ||
[[Category:Concepts]] | [[Category:Concepts]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Jacques Lacan]] |
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Revision as of 14:31, 15 June 2006
The term 'neurosis' (névrose) is used in psychoanalysis to describe a whole range of nervous disorders. For Lacan, the term 'neurosis' refers not to a set of symptoms but to a particular clinical structure. Lacan identifies three clinical structures: neurosis, psychosis and perversion. There is no position of 'mental health' which could be called normal. The normal structure, in the sense of that which is found in the statistical majority of the population, is neurosis. 'Mental health' is an illusory idea of wholeness which can neve rbe attained because the subject is essentially split. Thus, whereas Freud sees neurosis as an illness that can be cured, Lacan sees neurosis as a structure that cannot be altered. The aim of psychoanalytic ttreatment is therefore not the eradication of the neurosis but the modification of the subject's position vis-a-vis the neurosis. According to Lacan, "the structure of a neurosis is essentially a question."[1] Neurosis "is a question that being poses for the subject."[2] The two forms of neurosis (hysteria and obsessional neurosis) are distinguished by the content of the question. The question of the hysteric ('Am I a man or a woman?') relates to one's sex, whereas the question of obsessional neurosis ('To be or not to be?') relates to the contingency of one's own existence. These two questions (the hysterical question about sexual identity, and the obsessional question about death/existence) "are as it happens the two ultimate questions that have precisely no solution in the signifier. This is what gives neurotics their existential values.[3] At times Lacan lists phobia as a neurosis alonside hysteria and obsessional neurosis, thus raising the question of whether there are not two but three forms of neurosis.[4]
Neurosis is a pathological mental condition in which the patient is awre of the morbidity of his or her condition and it can, unlike psychosis, bne treated with the patient's consent. Neurosis is a condition in which somatic symptoms are an expression of a psychical conflict originating in childhood. Patients presenting obsessional, phobic or hysterical symptoms are neurotic.
The formation of behavioral or psychosomatic symptoms as a result of the return of the repressed. A neurosis represents an instance where the ego's efforts to deal with its desires through repression, displacement, etc. fail: "A person only falls ill of a neurosis if his ego has lost the capacity to allocate his libido in some way" (Introductory Lectures 16.387). The failure of the ego and the increased insistence of the libido lead to symptoms that are as bad or worse than the conflict they are designed to replace. This term should be carefully distinguished from psychosis.
