Lacan brings the concept of the mirror stage into Freud's concept of psychoanalysis. It is the idea that before we have knowledge of the world, or can even put thoughts into words, we can look at ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves. This becomes one of our first concepts of the world which leads to further self-discovery. This allows people to create a relationship between themselves and their reality, a concept refered to as imago. This happens before society begins to tell us what to think. He ends by explaining that psychonalysis performed by professionals can only go so far, that individuals must take the next step in order to have true understanding.
The ideas Lacan brings about give us another viewpoint in considering the societal concepts of culture. Relating to Marxism, the false consciousness portrayed in society is a constructed view that may not reflect our version of reality and the need to convince people to believe something that may not align with their internal desires, or the id. The mirror concept also relates to Laclou and Mouffe who suggests that objects do not have meaning without discourse. By looking at ourselves in the mirror stage, we are attributing meaning.
This is an interesting view to look at because we can begin to wonder where our views end and the constructed views of society begin. We might also ask, at what point and by whom were those constructs created?
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