Jacques Lacan and Psychoanalytic Theory PDF

Jacques Lacan and Psychoanalytic Theory Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) significantly influenced psychoanalytic and literary theory, broadening and redefining several basic psychoanalytic concepts. His work challenged orthodox Freudian views and introduced new perspectives on human development, language,...

Jacques Lacan and Psychoanalytic Theory Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) significantly influenced psychoanalytic and literary theory, broadening and redefining several basic psychoanalytic concepts. His work challenged orthodox Freudian views and introduced new perspectives on human development, language, and the unconscious. This presentation explores Lacan's key ideas and their impact on literary analysis and psychoanalytic thought. Lacan's Reinterpretation of Freudian Concepts The Imaginary 1 Lacan describes the early state of being when the child is unaware of distinctions between subject and object. The Mirror Phase 2 The child becomes aware of itself as an individual, producing an identifiable ego. The Symbolic 3 The child enters the world of language and binary oppositions, becoming aware of the father's restrictions. Lacan and Saussure's Linguistic Theory Signifers and Floating Signifers Language Signifeds Development Signifieds slide under Lacan reinterprets Freud's floating signifiers, never The child links signifiers theory of the conscious fully corresponding to and signifieds as it and unconscious using each other. enters the symbolic order Saussure's linguistic of consciousness. concepts. Dream Theory Reinterpreted Textual Theory Lacan reinterprets Freud's dream theory as a textual theory. Metaphor and Metonymy Uses Jakobson's concepts to explain structuring principles defined by Freud. Displacement Transferring emphasis from one element in a dream to another. Condensation Combining several ideas and images in dreams. The Elusive Nature of Meaning 1 Doubt in Language Lacan's theories sow seeds of doubt about language's ability to express anything with certainty. 2 Modernist Literature Meaning in many modernist literary works becomes elusive and difficult to pin down. 3 Life as Narrative Human life is like a narrative where significance constantly eludes us. The Concept of 'The Other' Identity Defnition The Other refers to the individual's awareness of other beings necessary in defining their identity. Social Order The Other represents the entire social order surrounding the individual. Constant Change As the social context changes, so does the individual's sense of identit Ideology and Misrecognition Part of 'The Other' Ideology is part of 'The Other' and provides a 'misrecognition' of the self. False Interpretation Ideology gives a false interpretation that becomes part of the self. Illusion of Fulfllment Ideology creates the illusion of filling the lack that desire eternally seeks to fill. Lacan's Writing Style Lacan Freud Obscure Clear Pursuit of desire Scientific clarity Complex Goethe prize winner Psychoanalysis of Reader Response 1 Norman N. Holland Argues that literature enables us to work through deep anxieties and desires in socially acceptable ways. 2 Simon Lesser Presents literature as a form of therapy in "Fiction and the Unconscious" (1957). 3 Identity Adaptation Holland explores how readers adapt their identities while interpreting texts. Harold Bloom's Anxiety of Infuence Generational Confict 1 Bloom interprets literary changes as a result of conflict between generations, similar to the Oedipus complex. Poetic Infuence 2 Poets feel oppressed by influential predecessors, leading to attempts to shake off the 'anxiety of influence'. Misreadings 3 Poems are seen as deliberate 'misreadings' or 'misprisions' of older poems to assert individuality. Julia Kristeva's Feminist Perspective Redefning the The 'Semiotic' Stage Anarchic Criticism 'Imaginary' Posits a form of language Kristeva's approach breaks Kristeva combines Lacanian existing in the pre- down fixed signifiers of psychoanalysis with Oedipal stage, challenging power, order, and control politics and feminism, the male-centered associated with masculine redefining Lacan's concept 'symbolic' order. dominance. of the 'imaginary'. Carl Gustav Jung's Analytical Psychology Collective Unconscious Jung believed in a collective unconscious common to the human race, containing universal archetypes. Animus/Anima Important archetypes representing the male/female images in the psyche. Individuation The process of harmonizing one's 'persona' and 'shadow' aspects of personality. Character Types Developed the concepts of extroverted and introverted personality types. Jung's Infuence on Literary Theory Symbol Interpretation Jungian psychology contributed significantly to the interpretation of symbols and images in texts. Gaston Bachelard Combined Freud's views on daydreaming with Jung's conception of archetypes in "The Poetics of Reverie" (1960). Northrop Frye Applied the theory of archetypes in his book "Anatomy of Criticism" (1957). Comparing Freud and Jung Common Interests Differences Schizophrenia Libido theory Neuroses and psychoses Psychic energy Dream interpretation Collective unconscious Unconscious processes Archetypes Impact on Literature and Psychology Theoretical Clinical Applications Literary Creation Foundations These theories continue to Psychoanalytic concepts have Psychoanalytic theories have influence clinical inspired and informed provided a rich foundation psychology and psychotherapy literary creation, enriching for literary analysis and practices. the depth and complexity of psychological understanding. modern literature.