Lacan's psychoanalysis

2023年07月10日

今日は心理学における考え方の一つである「ラカン理論」という普遍理論を紹介したいと思います。ラカンは精神分析の医師でしたが、現地人にとっても理解するのは難しいと考えられていました。(English) Today I would like to introduce a universal theory, a way of thinking in psychology called "Lacan's theory", a form of thinking in psychology. Lacan was a psychoanalytical doctor, but he was considered difficult to understand even for the natives.

"A" or "Capital letter other people" refers to the other person as you perceive them. It's your awareness of another individual.

"a" or "Object a" is your imagined self as seen through the eyes of others. It's how you believe others perceive you.

"S" represents your spontaneous self, the raw, unfiltered version of you that interacts with the world.

"a'" or "self-projected into others" is your imagined self projected onto others. It's how you imagine yourself to be when you place yourself in the position of others.

"Capital A" and "small a' " are separated because you cannot recognise the other person himself.

The thoughts of her that I imagined were nothing more than my thoughts, so they weren't exactly what she was.

Then there is the concept of "mirror recognition". You can draw a line in the middle of this figure.

The line becomes a mirror, and the lower left "Object a" bounces off the mirror and returns to the "S".

And this figure can express the composition that the "S", which was initially empty, gains meaning from the perspective of others.

Other Lacanian terms are "symbolic world", "imaginary world", and "real world".

Lacan's psychoanalysis

//Summary -Level-C2//

Lacan's psychoanalysis is a psychological theory that revolves around two concepts: "Object a" and "Capital letter other". The former is an individual's self-perception through the eyes of others, while the latter is the awareness of another person. These concepts are used to interpret human interactions and perceptions. Lacan's theory is visualized in the "L diagram", which represents the relationship between the self and others. The diagram also includes the concept of "mirror recognition", where the self gains meaning from the perspective of others. Lacan's theory, which builds on Freud's work, divides human cognition into three worlds: symbolic, imaginary, and real.

Today I would like to introduce a universal theory, a way of thinking in psychology called "Lacan's theory", a form of thinking in psychology.

Lacan was a psychoanalytical doctor, but he was considered difficult to understand even for the natives.

This theory is psychoanalysis, the basic idea for reading people's minds.

The person who made this was also a doctor, so it seems that it was made on the premise that it would be used in this clinical setting. This is especially true when interacting with others.

An essential concept in understanding someone is the word "Object a(Objet a)" and the word "Capital letter other(Grand Autre)".

The "Capital letter other" is the other you are aware of.

And "Object a" is what you imagine yourself to be in the eyes of others.

In very simple terms, the 'Capital letter other' is the other person you are aware of.

And the 'Object a' is the self in the eyes of others that you imagine yourself to be.

Lacan's psychoanalysis revolves around these two concepts.

Just because his book was challenging, the way of thinking is surprisingly simple.

For example, let's say I have a date with my girlfriend tomorrow.

It's a date tomorrow, so let's pick something cool to wear!

Let us use Lacan's concept here.

When I go on a date with her, she is the "Capital letter other."

The person she imagines herself to be from her point of view is "Object a."

The surprisingly tricky concept feels easy when you hear it like this.

If I continue with the explanation, I imagine this "Capital letter other(Grand Autre)" gaze here is nothing more than the other person I have supposed.

She is not who she is because she is someone else she imagines.

Therefore, what I think of as her gaze is that I see myself from her, not the girl I am looking at, but an imaginary one.

At this point, fashion, grooming, and clothes are thinking by projecting yourself into your clothes so that you can think of it as 'Object a'.

Other than that, things like posting on Instagram, trying to get a qualification, looking like a luxury car, etc. These represent the imagined self as seen by the "Capital letter other(Grand Autre)".

They have different purposes but can be structurally called 'Object a' similarly.

Another tricky example of "Object a" is "I found an ancient ruin! How did people live here in the past?"

Or, "Is this the vault where the 1 billion yen diamond was stolen?" "There are unnatural scratches on the wall of the vault."

First, in the case of the example of the ancient ruins, you enter the eyes of the 'Capitalised other' (the other person you are aware of).

Or, in the case of the diamond vault example, you enter the eyes of the 'Capitalised other' (the other person you are aware of).

Then, through the eyes of the 'capitalised other' (the other person you are aware of), you think about how you would have done it, projecting onto 'Object a' (the person you imagine yourself to be in the eyes of the other person).

If I were to give a keyword to make the analysis more accessible, it would be possible to summarise it by saying, "Who is this person conscious of?".

In other words, the relationship to the Object, which is the imaginary self seen by the "other in capital letters", and what kind of relationship there is between the two "other in capital letters" and "object a". Lacan's basic idea is to analyse.

Lacan's psychoanalysis is basically in the self and the other.

There is a diagram called the "L diagram", which shows Lacan's relationships.

The L in the "L diagram" is the L of Lacan.

The 'S' at the top left is me.

Think of the "self" as an "instinctive empty container".

This "S" is my instinct when it's my container.

So I don't know how I interact with others and can't explain my thoughts.

10)

Here's how this "S" identifies you:

For example, explain, "I have a friendly personality" or "I am a leader in my position".

"Capital A" in the lower right of the figure is "Capital Other".

When "others with the capital letter" or "A with the capital letter" are said to be "kind", the other person can recognise that "I am kind" by being told by "another person like a mirror".

11)

"Capital A" = "Capital Other" is the other person himself.

The "small a' " in the upper right is "self-projected into others".

It means "imaginary self".

"Capital A" and "small a' " are separated because you cannot recognise the other person himself.

The thoughts of her that I imagined were nothing more than my thoughts, so they weren't exactly what she was.

12)

I was told that I was "gentle" and "leader", which is in the lower left "a".

In other words, "Object a" and "imaginary self".

The "a' " in the upper right can also be called "Object a", but here it can be divided into "me projected in others" or "me as an imaginary self".

13)

Then there is the concept of "mirror recognition".

You can draw a line in the middle of this figure.

The line becomes a mirror, and the lower left "Object a" bounces off the mirror and returns to the "S".

And this figure can express the composition that the "S", which was initially empty, gains meaning from the perspective of others.

14)

The composition of the whole explanation, including the current concept of "mirror recognition", is this "L diagram".

It is a composition of the heart movement of a person's relationship with others.

When we look at human relationships psychoanalytically, we can put the person on this "L-diagram" and analyse it.

15)

Other Lacanian terms are "symbolic world", "imaginary world", and "real world".

The idea, not to be complicated, is that human cognition can be divided into three types.

The "symbolic world" is associated with the "L diagram", which is the empty intuitive self.

This symbolic world is the upper left "S".

And the "imaginary world" is the world that is imagined, and in this "L diagram", the upper right "small a' " and the lower left "a".

And the real world, the lower right "capital other" or "capital A" exist.

16)

Lacan thought that human perception comprises the symbolic, imaginative, and real worlds, which are intricately intertwined.

What do you imagine when you analyse? Is it symbolic? It is used to separate and to think.

Explanations of the symbolic, imaginative and real worlds are not as tricky as they seem.

17)

Lacan was the one who reconstructed it based on the theory of the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud.

He can put everything in the simple composition of the "L diagram" and, on the contrary, apply everything.

Deleuze is a philosopher who felt a sense of incongruity with such a way of thinking and the fact that everything is possible.

18)

He thinks, "Yes, but that's not all".

This person criticises Freud. (Because Lacan and Freud come to the same conclusion).

He thought interpreting the world solely based on the theories I had just mentioned might be partly correct, but it was too crude.

He wrote a book called "Anti-Oedipus".

I will explain it in another video, so please understand it together.

I want to end with this.

[Gilles Deleuze] Commentary on Anti-Oedipus "Destroy all common sense!"

Anti-Oedipus denies the idea of Oedipus.

Oedipus is named after the hero of an ancient Greek tragedy.

The famous psychologist Sigmund Freud coined the concept of the Oedipus complex.

Freud believed that "everything is instinct. Man is also an animal, so all his actions can be explained by instinct".

The "Oedipus complex" thinks as follows:

A boy first falls in love with his mother.

But the father forbids seeking love from the mother, and this urge is suppressed. There is such a premise.

And in the suppression process, including this teaching, the character is formed.

For example, if someone tells you, "If you don't study hard, I won't give you your pocket money".

Freud's way of thinking, including the premise, has the impression of being quite complicated.

Deleuze said, "Dr Freud, that's not true. Human society is not instinctive, but rather culturally intertwined causal relations".

Deleuze called this "strength of the power of words" the "signifiant of the despot".

A "signifiant" is a "word".

It's a different story regarding "rule by words" instead of "instinctively obeying parents".

In addition to the teachings of parents, there are the rules of the company and the conventions of the village community.

Deleuze said, "I will trap them in the Oedipus triangle".

This can be rephrased as "common sense", "duty", and "rule by words".

"You misunderstand the world," he says. "It's too narrow."

"In the first place, the world is not made up of logic that grows out of a root like a tree, like Freud's idea of instinct or the manuals of big companies."

"The world is like the underground roots of a meadow, tangled together in a mess."

"Capitalism and the development of history itself are always intricately intertwined. There is always a flow of desires in every sense, which creates a certain structure. We live in a kind of world".

Roots = "Tree"

Grassland = "Rhizome"

"The world is not a tree; it is a rhizome."

Don't put yourself anywhere. Don't draw lines around yourself.

Add info)

Q1. The article explained as follows:

Using this as a reference, please briefly explain the difference between a and a' and specify one specific example.

A="Capital letter other people" is the other you are aware of.

a ="Object a" is what you imagine yourself to be in the eyes of others.

S = my instinct when it's my container.

a' = "self-projected into others". It means "imaginary self".

A1->

In Lacan's psychoanalysis, "A", "a", "S", and "a' " represent different aspects of self and others:

"A" or "Capital letter other people" refers to the other person as you perceive them. It's your awareness of another individual.

"a" or "Object a" is your imagined self as seen through the eyes of others. It's how you believe others perceive you.

"S" represents your spontaneous self, the raw, unfiltered version of you that interacts with the world.

"a'" or "self-projected into others" is your imagined self projected onto others. It's how you imagine yourself to be when you place yourself in the position of others.

To illustrate these concepts with examples:

In a meeting, "A, Capital letter other people" would be your perception of your colleagues in the session.

"Object a" would be how your colleagues perceive you during the meeting. For instance, you might think they see you as a confident speaker or a thoughtful listener.

"S" would be your automatic reactions during the meeting, such as your natural inclination to speak up, listen, or react to what's being discussed.

"small a' " would be how you imagine yourself if you were in your colleagues' shoes. For example, you might imagine how you would behave if you were the meeting leader or presenting a particular point.

Q2. How do you conduct psychological counselling using Lacanian concepts?

For example, here is an employee who is wondering whether to change jobs or not. What are you going to ask him first? Briefly list the points of the counselling process line by line.

A2->

Using Lacanian concepts in psychological counselling involves understanding the client's perception of self and others and how these perceptions influence their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Here's a possible approach to counselling an employee considering a job change:

1. Understanding the Client's Perception of Self (S and Object a): Ask the employee how they see themselves in their current and potential new jobs. This will help you understand their "S" (instinctive self) and "Object a" (imagined self as seen by others).

2. Understanding the Client's Perception of Others (A): Ask the employee about their perception of their colleagues, bosses, and potential new coworkers or bosses. This will help you understand their "A" (Capital letter for other people).

3. Exploring the Imagined Self in Others (small a'): Ask the employee to imagine themselves in the positions of their colleagues or potential new coworkers. This will help you understand their "small a' " (self-projected into others).

4. Analyzing the Interactions: Use the information gathered to explore how the employee's perceptions of self and others influence their decision to change jobs. Are they driven by how they believe others perceive them? Are they projecting their feelings onto others?

5. Challenging Perceptions: If necessary, challenge the employee's perceptions. For example, if they believe others see them negatively, ask what evidence they have. This can help them realize if they're making assumptions or misinterpretations.

6. Exploring Alternatives: Encourage employees to consider different perspectives and possibilities. What would happen if they stayed in their current job? What could happen if they took the new job?

7. Making a Decision: Help employees decide based on a more accurate understanding of their perceptions of self and others. The goal is not to arrange for them but to guide them in making decisions that align with their true self and desires.

Remember, the counsellor's role is not to tell the client what to do but to facilitate self-understanding and self-discovery, enabling the client to make informed decisions.

Q3. In other words, can I think that Lacan's theory is as follows?

1. First, put yourself as an empty being.

2. Next, imagine someone else.

3. Then imagine yourself as others perceive you.

4. Also, imagine what the other person would be like if it were you.

5. By recognizing the way of thinking from various standpoints, create a state in which you will not cling to your worries and thoughts.

6. As a result, you can objectively recognize your worries.

Is it possible to derive new perspectives from this process by counselling patients?

A3->

Yes, your understanding of Lacan's theory is entirely accurate. It emphasizes the importance of understanding our perceptions of self and others and how these perceptions influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Here's a breakdown of your points:

1. Empty Being: Lacan's theory starts with the idea that our "self" is initially an "empty being" or an "instinctive empty container". This represents our raw, unfiltered self.

2. Imagining Others: We then form perceptions of others, which Lacan calls the "Capital letter other".

3. Self as Perceived by Others: We also form an image of how we believe others perceive us, referred to as "Object a".

4. Imagining Self in Others: We further imagine what it would be like to be in the other person's position, referred to as "self-projected into others".

5. Recognizing Various Standpoints: We can better understand our thoughts and worries by understanding these different perspectives. This can help us avoid becoming overly attached to our viewpoints and open up new ways of thinking.

6. Objective Recognition of Worries: This process can help us view our worries more objectively, considering them from multiple perspectives, not just our own.

In counselling, this process can indeed help patients derive new perspectives. By understanding how their perceptions of self and others influence their thoughts and feelings, patients can gain new insights into their problems. This can help them see their issues in a new light, explore different solutions, and make more informed decisions. It's important to note that the counsellor's role is to guide patients through this process, helping them understand their perceptions and explore new perspectives, but not to tell them what to think or do.

Q4. Why is Lacan's theory book said to be difficult?

I think I can explain it more simply and clearly.

Did Lacan not want his theory to be widely disseminated to the public?

Or did he want to brag that he was a lofty theory?

A4->

Lacan's work is often considered demanding for several reasons:

1. Complex Concepts: Lacan's theories involve complex and abstract concepts that can be challenging to understand. His work delves into the intricacies of human psychology, exploring the nuances of how we perceive ourselves and others. These concepts can be difficult to grasp, especially for those without a background in psychology.

2. Language and Style: Lacan's writing style is often dense and cryptic. He frequently used terminology and concepts from other fields, such as linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy, making his work difficult to understand for those unfamiliar.

3. Depth of Analysis: Lacan's theories require deep analysis and interpretation. His work is not meant to be read casually; it requires careful thought and consideration to understand his ideas fully.

As for Lacan's intentions, it's hard to say for sure. Some scholars suggest Lacan's complex style deliberately challenged his readers and provoked more profound thought and analysis. Others argue that his style reflects the complexity and depth of his ideas. It's unlikely that Lacan was trying to brag or prevent his theories from being widely disseminated. Instead, his work reflects his unique approach to understanding human psychology.

Lacan's psychoanalysis

Lacan's psychoanalysis

[Gilles Deleuze] Commentary on Anti-Oedipus "Destroy all common sense!"

Lacan's psychoanalysis

Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan

[Gilles Deleuze] Commentary on Anti-Oedipus "Destroy all common sense!"

Gilles Deleuze

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