Lacanian Mirror
- evilponderingartic
- Oct 20, 2025
- 1 min read
Lacan’s concept of the mirror stage describes a pivotal moment in early infancy when the child first recognizes its own image in a mirror. Around 6–18 months of age, an infant becomes captivated by the mirror reflection and identifies with this seemingly unified and coherent image
Lacan noted the infant’s “jubilation” in this discovery – a triumphant delight as the child anticipates a mastery over its body that it has not yet achieved.
In assuming the image as itself, the child undergoes a transformation: this identificatory event “precipitates” the formation of the I (ego) in a “primordial form”
In other words, the mirror stage is an experience of identification with an external image that seeds the first coherent sense of self.
