The Real of the Body in Lacanian Theory
In the last phase of his teaching Lacan's major preoccupation is with the field of jouissance. In developing a notion of the real dimension of the body, Lacan stresses the cut between the subject and its body. At first, Lacan shows us that, in the end, the subject does not have very much to do with jouissance. The agency that is concerned with jouissance, on the other hand, is the body. This situating of jouissance sheds new light on the dynamics and the treatment of neurosis and psychosis. Taking up Freud's indications on this matter, Lacan points out that the real of the body is the agency that lies at the base of the fixation of the drives, which is the precursor to repression. Thinking the real of the body through to its logical conclusion, Lacan arrives at the conclusion that it is this same agency that chooses the signifiers a neurosis is built with. Since jouissance is considered to be the cornerstone of psychopathological processes, ultimately the concept of the real of the body ties together aetiology and treatment.