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{{Short description|1932 French doctoral thesis used to argue the theory of self-punishing paranoia}}
The '''Case of Aimée''' concerned the Frenchwoman Marguerite Pantaine, who in 1931 attacked the ] actress ]; was hospitalised; and was treated by, and became the subject of the doctoral thesis of ].<ref>], Introduction, ''The Four Fundamental Concpets of Psycho-Analysis'' (Penguin 1994) p. xvi</ref> The '''Case of Aimée''' concerned the Frenchwoman Marguerite Pantaine, who in 1931 attacked the ] actress ]. Marguerite was hospitalised in a mental hospital, and was treated by ], becoming the subject of his doctoral thesis.<ref>], Introduction, ''The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-Analysis'' (Penguin 1994) p. xvi</ref>


==Thesis== ==Thesis==
By innovatively linking Aimée's actions to her life experience,<ref>J S Lee, ''Jacques Lacan'' (1992) p. 12</ref> Lacan was able to argue that her attack was in fact made against the (persecutory aspect of the) image of her own ], carried out in a sort of ] trance.<ref>F Pacteau, ''Symptom of Beauty'' (2013) p. 193</ref> Lacan used her "case" to develop a theory of self-punishing ];<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 44</ref> in the process moving his thinking closer to that of ].<ref>J Lacan, ''Écrits'' (London 1997) p. 184 and 222</ref> Lacan used the pseudonym "Aimée" to protect the identity of Marguerite Pantaine. In his thesis, he linked "Aimée"'s psychosis to her life experience, developing an innovative theory of psychogenic psychosis which drew heavily on ] to explain phenomena not usually tractable by psychoanalytic methods.<ref>J S Lee, ''Jacques Lacan'' (1992) p. 12</ref><ref>J Lacan, ''Écrits'' (London 1997) p. 184 and 222</ref> Lacan argued that Aimée regarded her attack on the actress as an attack against a persecutory aspect of her own psyche, namely the image of her own ]; and that she carried out the attack in a sort of ] trance.<ref>F Pacteau, ''Symptom of Beauty'' (2013) p. 193</ref> He used her case to develop a theory of self-punishing ].<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 44</ref>


It was however primarily in the form of ] that Lacan's psychoanalytic thinking was at this point framed: "The therapeutic problem regarding psychosis seems to me to make a ''psychoanalysis of the ego'' more necessary than a psychology of the unconscious."<ref>Quoted in E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 50</ref> It was, however, primarily in the form of ] that Lacan's psychoanalytic thinking was at this point framed: "The therapeutic problem regarding psychosis seems to me to make a ''psychoanalysis of the ego'' more necessary than a psychology of the unconscious."<ref>Quoted in E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 50</ref>


==Later identification== ==Later identification==
By a strange coincidence, Marguerite had been discharged from hospital and was working for Lacan's father, at the time her estranged son ] was undergoing an analysis with him. When the two Anzieus reunited, Didier realised his mother had been the subject of Lacan's thesis the decade before.<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 188-9</ref> Ten years after Marguerite was discharged from hospital, she went to work for Lacan's father, and her estranged son ] went into analysis with Lacan. When the two Anzieus reunited, Didier realised his mother had been the subject of Lacan's thesis the decade before.<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 188-9</ref>


] reports the mother's complaint that Lacan, instead of helping her, "had stolen her life story and turned it into a thesis... she who had been observed, ransacked, fabricated, travestied, and made into a myth for the benefit of psychiatry."<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 190</ref> ] reports the mother's complaint that Lacan, instead of helping her, "had stolen her life story and turned it into a thesis," and that she "had been observed, ransacked, fabricated, travestied, and made into a myth for the benefit of psychiatry."<ref>E Roudinesco, ''Jacques Lacan'' (Cambridge 2005) p. 190</ref>


==See also== ==See also==

Latest revision as of 09:21, 8 September 2022

1932 French doctoral thesis used to argue the theory of self-punishing paranoia

The Case of Aimée concerned the Frenchwoman Marguerite Pantaine, who in 1931 attacked the celebrity actress Huguette Duflos. Marguerite was hospitalised in a mental hospital, and was treated by Jacques Lacan, becoming the subject of his doctoral thesis.

Thesis

Lacan used the pseudonym "Aimée" to protect the identity of Marguerite Pantaine. In his thesis, he linked "Aimée"'s psychosis to her life experience, developing an innovative theory of psychogenic psychosis which drew heavily on psychoanalysis to explain phenomena not usually tractable by psychoanalytic methods. Lacan argued that Aimée regarded her attack on the actress as an attack against a persecutory aspect of her own psyche, namely the image of her own Ideal ego; and that she carried out the attack in a sort of narcissistic trance. He used her case to develop a theory of self-punishing paranoia.

It was, however, primarily in the form of ego psychology that Lacan's psychoanalytic thinking was at this point framed: "The therapeutic problem regarding psychosis seems to me to make a psychoanalysis of the ego more necessary than a psychology of the unconscious."

Later identification

Ten years after Marguerite was discharged from hospital, she went to work for Lacan's father, and her estranged son Didier Anzieu went into analysis with Lacan. When the two Anzieus reunited, Didier realised his mother had been the subject of Lacan's thesis the decade before.

Elisabeth Roudinesco reports the mother's complaint that Lacan, instead of helping her, "had stolen her life story and turned it into a thesis," and that she "had been observed, ransacked, fabricated, travestied, and made into a myth for the benefit of psychiatry."

See also

References

  1. David Macey, Introduction, The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-Analysis (Penguin 1994) p. xvi
  2. J S Lee, Jacques Lacan (1992) p. 12
  3. J Lacan, Écrits (London 1997) p. 184 and 222
  4. F Pacteau, Symptom of Beauty (2013) p. 193
  5. E Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (Cambridge 2005) p. 44
  6. Quoted in E Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (Cambridge 2005) p. 50
  7. E Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (Cambridge 2005) p. 188-9
  8. E Roudinesco, Jacques Lacan (Cambridge 2005) p. 190

Further reading

  • Jean Allouch, Marguerite; ou, L'Aimée de Lacan (Paris 1990)

External links

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