Lacan

The Imaginary register is the realm of images, illusions, and identifications. It begins during infancy (between 6 and 18 months) with a crucial developmental milestone Lacan called the .

1. The Core Tenant: The Unconscious is Structured Like a Language The Imaginary register is the realm of images,

While Freud spoke of the "pleasure principle," Lacan introduced the French term to describe a much more complicated psychic force. Jouissance is often translated as "enjoyment," but it carries a connotation of transgressive, overwhelming pleasure that crosses over into pain. The Core Tenant: The Unconscious is Structured Like

Drawing on the linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure, Lacan argued that the unconscious is not a dark, primeval reservoir of repressed instincts. Instead, it is a dynamic chain of (the sounds or written marks of a word) that function just like the elements of language, creating meaning through their differences and relations. Through the subject's entry into the Symbolic, access is gained to desire; it is language that allows the human being to formulate and articulate their wants. Instead, it is a dynamic chain of (the

This order is governed by the "logic of the signifier"—the linguistic structures that dictate social interaction, culture, and subjectivity.