As
part of his model of the subject psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan suggested three
mutual dependant yet separate orders: the imaginary order, the real order and
the symbolic order.
The
imaginary order according to Lacan is constituted through the birth of the
"I" in what he terms as "the mirror stage" (age 6-18
months). The I of the imaginary order in constituted through vision, as a
coherent image that the baby has of himself in the mirror or in the presence of
someone else. This coherent image, according to Lacan, is at odds with the
baby's motor experience at this stage, which is characterized by a sense of
fragmentation. This dissonance, between a coherent image and fragmented
sensation, will continue according to Lacan to be a part of the person's life
for as long as he or she lives. Much like the baby in the mirror stage, which
seeks a unified and coherent image of himself in the mirror, so do adults
constantly seek identification with ideas (and not just images) in order to
make up for their sense of frustration and aggression that result from
lack of coherence and a sense of a fragmented self.
Therefore,
the term "imaginary order" takes on a double meaning in Lacan's
theory: imaginary in the sense of image, something seen or visualized, and
imaginary in the sense of imagination, something which exists in the mind
regardless of its existence in real life.
Lacan
strongly opposed previous psychoanalytic perceptions of the self, claiming that
the self is not a coherent thing that one can point to. The self, for Lacan, is
rather a function which points to a failure of the consciousness originating
from a basic alienation of the "I" from himself. This means that
instead of presenting the self as autonomous the imaginary function constructs
it as a product of identification with others. For Lacan, the imaginary order
is linked to the manner in which the I is caught up in competitive relations
with the other.
Suggested reading on and by Lacan:
Suggested reading on and by Lacan: