Changes

Self-love. Ideally, the libido directs its energies '[[Narcissism]]' is used by [[Sigmund Freud]] to objects ("object-libido"), including eventually one's love-object. However, describe the investment of [[libido can also attach itself to ]] in the [[ego ("ego-libido") to the exclusion of external object-cathexes]]. This situation leads, according to Freud, to The narcissistic behavior and to narcissistic neuroses such stage of development inscribes the [[ego]] as megalomaniaan [[object]] of the libidinal economy. Lacan makes narcissism an even more central aspect of the human psyche, aligning it with what he terms the "imaginary order," one of the three major structures of the psyche (along with the Real and the symbolic order). [[Lacan suggests that]] expands upon [[Freud]]'s concept, whereas the zero form of sexuality for animals is copulationlinking it more explicitly with its namesake, the zero form [[myth]] of sexuality for humans is masturbation. The act of sex for humans is so much caught up in our fantasies (our idealized images of both ourselves and our sexual partners) that it is ultimately narcissistic. As Lacan puts it, "That's what love is. It's one's own ego that one loves in love, one's own ego made real on the imaginary level."<ref>(Freud's Papers 142)[[Narcissus]].</ref>

Freud defines narcissism as Ideally, the investment of libido in the ego. Freud inscribes the ego as an directs its energies to objects ("object-libido"), including eventually one's love-object of the libidinal economy. Lacan associates the birth of the ego with the narcissistic stage of development. Lacan develops Freud’s concept by linking it more explicitly with its namesakeHowever, the myth of Narcissus.Lacan thus defines narcissism as the erotic attraction The libido can also attach itself to the specular image; this erotic relation underlies the primary identification by which the ego is formed in ("ego-libido") to the mirror stageexclusion of external object-cathexes. Narcissism has both an erotic and an aggressive character. It is erotic in that the subject is strongly attracted This situation leads, according to the gestalt that is his image. It is aggressive in that the wholeness of the specular iamge contrasts with the uncoordinated disunity of the subject’s real bodyFreud, to narcissistic behavior and thus seems to threaten the subject with disintegration. The narcissistic relation (with the specular image) constitutes the imaginary dimension of human relationships (S3, 92)neuroses such as megalomania.

[[Category:Jacques Lacan]]