Jacques Lacan

Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan (April 13, 1901 – September 9, 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. His clinical theory is rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud, and derives from linguistic sources (Ferdinand de Saussure), philosophical sources (Kojève on Hegel), as well as mathematical sources (René Thom, Nicolas Bourbaki, and topological theory of knots).

Related Topics:
April 13 - 1901 - September 9 - 1981 - French - Psychoanalyst - Psychiatrist - Sigmund Freud - Ferdinand de Saussure - Kojève - Hegel - René Thom - Nicolas Bourbaki - Topological - Knots

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His central contribution to clinical (psychiatric, psychological, psychotherapeutic) theory was the assertion that language, the spoken language of the human subject, creates the subject. From this understanding Lacan develops his study of psychoanalysis and his treatment strategies. His work, while controversial, continues to influence the development of psychoanalysis worldwide. In France and elsewhere various "schools" of Lacanian thought have emerged. Although there exist various competing emphases on Lacan's work among these "schools", all agree in the fundamental importance of the unconscious. By structuring the options available to any speaking subject in the articulation of his or her desires, the unconscious determines the very fabric of human life as we may come to know it, according to Lacan.

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