Psychoanalysis

In his article, Jacques Lacan offers a newer, more culturally-geared perspective on traditional Freudian psychoanalysis. By establishing the concept of the “mirror stage,” Lacan is able to identify the “transformation that takes place in the subject when he assumes an image” and is therefore able to explore the effects of this essential phenomenon. Before the mirror stage, we have no perception of ourselves, no “image,” and no comprehension of symbolism. Lacan brings up the term Imago in order to describe this, and writes, “The function of the mirror-stage as a particular case of the function of the imago, which is to establish a relation between the organism and its reality” (257). However, there is also the problem of the Gestalt, which “symbolizes the mental permanence of the I, at the same time as it prefigures its alienating destination” (256). Since, in this outlook, there exists both a subjective self and an objective self, feelings of alienation and incompleteness arise in the individual. And in term, this has an overarching effect on culture – namely, the “passions in society” and what we desire.

Lacan’s theories – despite being deeply rooted in psychoanalysis – seem to parallel other perspectives regarding the concept of reality vs. “phantasy.” Leavis, Williams, Bazerman, Athusser, Laclau, Mouffe, and Freud all seem to possess the same belief: that there are objects that can be considered “real” (or objective), and there are also “meanings” that are attached to these real objects (the subjective).  On the other hand, the Marxism and Hegemony perspectives seem to favor the idea that the “meanings” associated with these objects are not necessarily a cultural consensus or derive from each individual, but rather, they are manipulated, controlled, and dictated by the “ruling class” in order to withhold the power.

Personally, I found the psychoanalytical approach to culture to be very fascinating, especially since it explores culture through the individual’s mental processes rather than exploring culture through class relations. By getting to the roots of each individual, we can adjust the scales in order to see how a collective culture might function.