Lacan - The Lack, Mirror Stage

Jacques Lacan was a French psychoanalyst. He was recognised for being the most controversial psycho-analyst since Sigmund Freud himself.

The Lack
He often gave seminars in Paris across his long career, most notably Le transfert (1960–61), of which focused upon his theory of Le Manques (The Lack) as the cause for which our desires occur.

Lacan theorised that we are born into this condition of lack.

He believed that there are few stages to the theory of lack, the first being a lack of being itself. This is a reinterpretation by Jacques Lacan of Sigmund Freud's theory of the structure of the human personality. Referred to this as "The Mirror Stage", Lacan theorised that this is the moment or period in time in which a child between the age of 6 to 18 months first starts to form a sense of a unified self. Lacan argued that this was either a literal result of the child having first perceived himself in a mirror or other apperception forms and hence through this unified sensory perception, a unified self separate from others is derived. Initiating from the mirror stage, the child's formation and determination of their personality is dependent upon the images and ideals of others, despite also subconsciously trying to distinguish itself from others. Relating back to Freud's model of the personality, Lacan hypothesised that as a result of the mirror stage, the Ego is first developed. However, because our sense of self, our Ego, is derived from the recognition of others separate to ourselves, Lacan states that it is thus an imaginary construct; an inherent lie. 

The second stage of development being 'fort-da' game was first developed by Freud. Lacan believed that this was the stage in which the child comes to term with not being the mothers only priority. 

As the child grows older, it starts to learn a language that allows it to communicate with others on a more profound level. Through the use of language to engage in social interaction, Lacan states that the child enters this medium "the symbolic order" to achieve further development of identity of which such things as morality can first be established.

Lacan argues that our desire is the desire for recognition as well as the desire for what we believe the other desires. The other here referring to other people. Lacan means to say that once we find out something is desirable to another person, in turn it is possible for ourselves to perceive this as desirable too and that this is also fairly common. An example of this theory being fashion. Unlike need which is driven by a will to survive and biological function, desire is driven by demand.

Lacan believes that for something to be considered a desire by someone, it must be unachievable. He believed this was because, despite perhaps one does in fact achieve their desire, a new desire for something greater or beyond their initial desire emerges and hence they are stuck in a cycle of a lack of satisfaction and a sense of constant un-fulfilment.

In the end, Lacan wants us to recognise that we must better control our desire by carefully knowing what and how to desire, for desire can not be fulfilled because as soon as it is, a new desire arises.