The Subject of Psychosis: A Lacanian Perspective

by Stijn Vanheule

This book discusses what Jacques Lacan's oeuvre contributes to our understanding of psychosis. Presenting a close reading of original texts, Stijn Vanheule proposes that Lacan's work on psychosis can best be framed in terms of four broad periods.

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychological, Nonfiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Blaze-Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. I was inspired because I am writing an essay about Black Swan through a Lacanian lens... this book has given me a lot to think about. What I appreciate in particular is the way he breaks down Lacanian ideas around psychosis in the four different eras. Reading it this way was very nice. I have put together a lot of ideas on Lacan which have just been floating around, and now that I read this I have better understand of the overall project. Will refer to this book in the future, great piece of scholarship.

[Mark William · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, a newcomer to Lacan, this was excellent. I’m building up to reading his seminars and wished for some contextual overview of his writings. Being a novice I needed orientation, clarity, accessibility and interest. This provided perfectly. As it follows his theoretical developments throughout his entire career, I suspect it will help me understand any of his writing, as opposed to just the psychoses.

[Maarten Robberechts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na lang te hebben zitten worstelen in knopen - symbolisch, imaginair en reëel - heb ik aan het einde een compleet gevoel van ontknoping gekregen. Heel bevattelijk geschreven.

[Michael A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. Very clear exposition of Lacan's conception of the psychotic subject in the 50s (what Vanheule dubs his "2nd period"). A text on Lacan will inevitably get complicated, but his shift to the 60s was relatively clear ("3rd period", primarily dealing with object a and jouissance) but the last chapter should have been a lot longer, but maybe I'm biased because I need more information on Lacan's topology. I don't think 20 pages is enough to accurately cover Lacan's work in the 70s. At a slim 171 pages, I think that with the exception of his work in the 50s (which takes up pages 33-122...well over half the book) the book in general is probably oversimplified...which, with Lacan, is probably a good thing.

Just want to reiterate pages 33-122 are absolutely Very Good and a must read analysis of the Lacanian psychotic subject as conceived in the 50s. I just wish there was more to the 60s and 70s.

[Yahya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lacan'ın kuramına dair harika bir giriş kitabı. Psikoz temelinde dönse de bütün bir kuramın harika bir özetini bulabilirsiniz. Jacques Lacan'ın kuramını ilk yıllarından son zamanlara kadar harika bir şekilde anlatılmış. Daha sonra kuramın gelişimi boyunca Lacan'ın psikoza dair fikirlerinin gelişimini takip edebiliyorsunuz. Tabi bunu deyince okuması kolay gibi bir anlam çıkmasın. Maalesef Lacan'ın kuramını anlatan biri olsa da okuma zor olabiliyor. O açıdan kitap sadece kurama ilgi duyanlara hitap ediyor.

"Psikozun fenomenolojisinin tüm zenginliğini yaratan, konuşma düzenidir; tüm boyutlarını, dağılmalarını, kırılmalarını gördüğümüz yer burasıdır". Bu odak materyalisttir, çünkü psikotik düşüncenin içeriğine veya gösterilenlerine değil, gösterene ve anlamlandırma sürecindeki tuhaflıklara odaklanır. Altta yatan zihinsel süreçleri ilgilendiren hipotezler en alt düzeyde tutulurken, dilin kullanımı sırasında psikozun ne şekilde dışa vurulduğu üzerine düşünmek için alan açılır.

[Colton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was indispensable. Simply the clearest account I've read yet of Lacan's thoughts across time.