Lacan

Jacques Lacan , the "French Freud," was perhaps the most controversial and enigmatic figure in 20th-century psychoanalysis

Lacan categorized human experience into three interlocking realms, often represented by the Borromean knot: Jacques Lacan , the "French Freud," was perhaps

In Lacanian theory, "man's desire is the desire of the Other." We do not simply want things for ourselves; we want what we believe others want, or we want to be the object of another’s desire. is not "reality" (the world of everyday objects)

: Critiquing and expanding on the "Phallus" as a symbolic signifier of power. Think of a traumatic event that you cannot

This is Lacan’s most difficult concept. is not "reality" (the world of everyday objects). Rather, the Real is the impossible kernel that resists symbolization. It is that which language cannot grasp, the trauma that returns again and again. Think of a traumatic event that you cannot put into words; that remainder, that gap, is the Real. It is "full" and "silent"—a horror or a sublime density that lies beyond the veil of our symbolic universe.

Elena looked at him sharply. "I am not an object, Julian."