The Reticular System in Freud’s and Lacan’s Theories: A Founding Concept in the Service of a Therapeutic Ambition and a Scientific Ideal

Abstract

The article explores the theoretical systems of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan through the concept of a “reticular system.” This model, although not explicitly named by Freud, is evident in his descriptions of psychic processes as networks of interconnected representations. Freud structures psychoanalysis around a network (psychic representations), a fluid (libido and affect), and a regulatory function (the pleasure-displeasure principle). The combination of these three elements forms what we call a reticular system. Lacan adapts this system by substituting the terms and develops this idea further by integrating elements of Saussurean linguistics, making the network of signifiers a central concept in the analysis of the subject and its desire. The article demonstrates how this theoretical model supports the therapeutic and scientific ambitions of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis. The article also highlights the influence of nineteenth-century sciences and technical imaginaries on the formation of these concepts. Finally, this article shows how the reticular system allows us to appreciate the scientific ambitions of psychoanalysis in a new way.

Keywords:

• epistemology Keyword: epistemology
• network Keyword: network
• system Keyword: system
• Freud Keyword: Freud
• Lacan Keyword: Lacan

How to Cite:

Rights: In Copyright