The Autistic Mirror in the Real: Autism in Lacan’s Mirror Stage

Posted by Leon Brenner on 2026-03-03

Brenner, L. (2021). The autistic mirror in the real: Autism in Lacan’s mirror stage. Theory & Psychology. 2021;31(6):950-972. doi:10.1177/09593543211034569

Abstract:

The mirror stage is one of Jacques Lacan’s most well-received metapsychological models in the English-speaking world. In its many renditions Lacan elucidates the different forms of identification that lead to the construction of the Freudian ego. This article utilizes Lacan’s mirror stage to provide a novel perspective on autistic embodiment. It develops an integrative model that accounts for the progression of four distinct forms of autistic identification in the mirror stage; these forms provide the basis for the development of four different clinical trajectories in the treatment of autism. This model is posed as an alternative to the clinical and diagnostic framework associated with the autistic spectrum disorder.