Mirror Stage

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Lacan, From The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience 1.The mirror stage helps an individual form a sense of self. a. This concept originated from looking at human behavior within the comparative psychology field. b. When looking in the mirror, the child notices that image that mimics his or her image in the mirror. c. He or she then must determine the relationship between himself or herself and the image reflected back toward him or her. 2. As a child experiences the mirror stage, he or she goes through an identification process that relate to the term imago, meaning a specific mental image of oneself. a. This mental image is formed while still in the nursling …show more content…
A story of a brother and sister at a train station is used to illustrate the relationship between the signifier and the signified. a. As the train pulls into the station one sibling is able to view the Ladies’ rest room and the other the Gentlemen’s rest room. Thus, each sibling attributes a different meaning to the bathroom. b. The signifier sends forth the significance. For the siblings, it is based on their perspective. 5.The S/s structure allows people to make meaning of the signifier. a. This structure allows people to use language. b. The signifier creates a signifying chain that is reflected in how people use language. c. Grammar and lexicology are used to help make meaning of signifiers as they relate to other signifiers within a sentence. 6. Saussure’s S/s algorithm has linear properties, which run counter to how we use language. a. Our schema is what influences how we attribute meaning to signifiers. b. There are signifying factors in language that also affect meaning. 7. Returning to the tree example, its symbolic context contains multiple meanings. a. The dichotomy of the meaning of this word makes language complicated. 1. A tree could be used to reference an …show more content…
Metonymy is a figure of speech that allows individuals to associate a symbol with what is signified. a. Meaning is created in a figurative sense by the signifier. b. The meaning derived here is based on word-to-word connections. c. Metaphors rely on two signifiers to create significance of a given statement. 9. When examining Freud’s analysis of a dream, the subconscious mind also relies on the relationship between the signifier and the signified to create meaning. a. The S/s algorithm stills applies, but also relies upon metonymy and metaphors to determine the significance. b. The algorithm does change when looking at metaphor. 1. “The sign + between () represents here the crossing of the bar – and the constitutive vale of this crossing for the emergence of the signification” (1179). 2. Making meaning of dreams should use the same language that is used to make meaning in the conscious mind. This means dreams should be taken literally. 3. Using this formula allows individuals to associate symbols and determine the significance. 4. Freud uses metonymy and metaphor to determine the relationship between the signifier and

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