The real

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the theory of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, the real is one of the three structural determinations of the psychic . The real is the indissoluble residue that does not merge into the other two orders of the imaginary and the symbolic . The concept of the real is not to be confused with that of reality , which is more likely to be assigned to the symbolic order.

Concept of the real

The real is the most enigmatic notion of Lacan's theory because it does not by definition be defined is. Lacan describes the real as that which is neither imaginary nor symbolizable, but has its own massive, irreducible and singular existence and presence - for example a dream that one suffers from and that cannot (yet) be transformed into a story. The real is always something incomprehensible, unspeakable, uncontrollable, a kind of horror or trauma . It also appears in the spheres of sexuality ( see also: Jouissance ), death and violence. The real is that which lies outside normal reality and is repressed , which threatens it. It is so far related to the Freudian concept of it .

The Real, the Symbolic and the Imaginary (RSI)

The three structural determinations of the subject real, imaginary and symbolic are linked in the structure of a Borromean knot , that is: Each of these “registers” of the psychic determines the other two, so that the three concepts form an indissoluble unit. If one of them is removed from the overall network, the others also become detached and the network loses its coherence . It is unclear whether Lacan regards this unity as universal and indissoluble, or whether this unity is not traumatically dissolved in psychosis , as it was in his late seminar XXIII. Le sinthome (1975-76) is indicated (cf. Dylan Evans, Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis , p. 65).

The real in popular culture

The philosopher Slavoj Žižek finds examples of the real in Alfred Hitchcock's films , such as the birds in the film of the same name or the huge ship at the end of the street where the protagonist's mother lives in the film Marnie . “This type of object is characterized by a massive, oppressive material presence; it is by no means an indifferent emptiness like the MacGuffin [(cf. object small a )], but neither does it circulate between the subjects, so it is just as little an object of exchange, but a mute embodiment of an impossible enjoyment ( jouissance ). ”( Žižek : Love your symptom like yourself , p. 57) Contrary to popular interpretation, the alien in the film of the same name cannot be understood in the Lacanian sense as the embodiment of a Lacanian real; instead it stands for the lamella.

literature

  • Jacques Lacan: The Psychoses. 1955-56 (seminar III). Quadriga Verlag, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-88679-909-3 .
  • Jacques Lacan: The Four Basic Concepts of Psychoanalysis (Seminar XI). 4th edition Quadriga Verlag, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-88679-906-9 .
  • Dylan Evans: Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis . Turia + Kant, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-85132-190-1 .
  • Peter Widmer: Subversion of Desire. An introduction to Jacques Lacan's work . New edition Turia + Kant, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85132-150-2 (former title Subversion des Desire. Jacques Lacan or The Second Revolution of Psychoanalysis , 1990).
  • Slavoj Žižek: Love your symptom like yourself! Jacques Lacan's Psychoanalysis and the Media . Edition Merve, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-88396-081-0 .
  • Slavoj Žižek: Enjoy more. Lacan in Popular Culture (Where It Was; Vol. 1). Turia + Kant, Vienna 1992, ISBN 3-85132-037-9 .