The Imaginary (psychoanalysis)

The Imaginary order is one of a triptych of terms in the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan, along with the symbolic and the real. Each of the trio of terms emerged gradually over time, and underwent an evolution during the development of Lacan's thought. "Of these three terms, the 'imaginary' was the first to appear, well before the Rome Report of 1953 ... [when t]he notion of the 'symbolic' came to the forefront". Indeed, looking back at his intellectual development from the vantage point of the 70s, Lacan epitomised it as follows:

The Imaginary (psychoanalysis)

The Imaginary order is one of a triptych of terms in the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan, along with the symbolic and the real. Each of the trio of terms emerged gradually over time, and underwent an evolution during the development of Lacan's thought. "Of these three terms, the 'imaginary' was the first to appear, well before the Rome Report of 1953 ... [when t]he notion of the 'symbolic' came to the forefront". Indeed, looking back at his intellectual development from the vantage point of the 70s, Lacan epitomised it as follows: