Blog 3 Lacan

One of Lacan’s steps in the development of the subject is his idea of “The Real”. He describes “The Real” in relation to the imaginary and symbolic and in a way our sense of completeness gets lost once we enter into the world of language. The Real puts the individual in the state of need; we are always in a need to find a sense of reality. The imaginary is when a child realizes through the mirror-stage that they are separate from the rest of the world, giving them an image of completeness. In “The Real” we are lost in the symbolic constantly trying to bring back the imaginary.

Children’s relationships with their stuffed animals are imaginary. The computer chip that goes into the dolls shows that the body and the subject of the stuffed animal are separate. Eva knew that the ‘real’ Easter was in the chip, not the body. This also relates to the idea of the signifier and the signified. Eva is able to differentiate the actual stuffed animal to the concept that it exists.

Frued

Fred believed that sexuality develops through the relationships with parents in early childhood. Children go through stages with their parents that make up their gender identity and sexuality. His theory is that the Oedipus complex constructs the child’s sexuality, enabling them to separate the differences of their parents. The boy is at first attached with the mother but then he fears the idea of castration and he follows the father, internally removing the mother. It is important for the child to go through these stages otherwise they could have serious mental, identity or relationship problems later. His theory demonstrates that boys will see the father as strong and the mother as submissive.

I partially agree with Freud on his idea of the development of sexuality. I believe that our relationship with our parents throughout childhood helps develop our sexuality, but I don’t think that it is necessarily the leading factor. I think that our sexuality is partially innate and partially constructed. I think that there is a greater construction from society instead of only our parents. Freud’s theory of the oedipal stage is accurate when it comes to identifying gender in others, especially at a young age. The belief that the woman is good and nurturing and the man is independent and powerful is pretty common among young children. When I was a child I was not intentionally taught this, but I was under the impression of it. I assume that this was what I observed and experienced at a very young age with my parents. Although I do believe that it is an idea that I acquired through interactions with peers and other adults as well as my parents, which is something that Freud does not mention. This may be a part of our changing society. Since it is now common for women to work outside of the house, children are more often put in social environments, such as day care at earlier ages. In terms of my personal sexuality, I pretty much have the same partial thoughts of Freud’s idea. I was not close with my father at a young age so I feel that other factors in society led to the development of my sexuality. But I also think that sexuality might develop earlier than Freud assumes, perhaps in the infant stage. Overall I like the idea of the Oedipus complex but I agree with the ‘The New Oedipus’ that this is only one step, and that other forms of social integration pre or post Oedipus stage might be even more influential, especially in our changing society.

The Enlightenment Era & Subjectivity

The Enlightenment period was an intellectual movement which was a significant turning point during the eighteenth century of the western world. The philosophical ideas of this era were perhaps partially in response to the unfortunate conditions that much of the world was in at the time. Subjectivity became a concern during this period and for the first time the subject was viewed as a self-ruling individual that is constructed through society. Some of the leading theories of subjectivity and selfhood during the Enlightenment period came from Descartes, Rousseau and Kant.
The Cogito ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am” was a quote from Descartes that explain his ideas of selfhood and the individual during this era. He believed that the “self” is the basis of the world around us and creates our experiences, knowledge and feelings. Descartes theory of selfhood is based on the individual’s consciousness of reality and reason. His idea of consciousness is making sense of the world, which is what “selfhood” is. These theories have had a remarkable impact on other enlightenment thinkers.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau often used his own life in explaining his theory of self-sufficiency. He stressed the idea that each person is good and it is the unnatural aspects of society that has corrupted them. Whether they are good or bad, they are an individual, different from next. He believed that the only way to find the truth of the natural individual is to remove yours self from the unnatural word that we were once in.
Immanuel Kant believed that the “self” or the “I” was always the origin of our thoughts, actions and perceptions of all aspects of the world around us. He believed that for every mental and physical experience in this world we must have a conscious awareness of the self.