Abstract

This article presents a conceptual and structural analysis of selected texts by Lacan and Wallon in order to find evidence of the influence exerted by Wallon on the theory of the imaginary developed by Lacan in the 1930s and 1940s. However, the points of disagreement between them are addressed as well. For this, the article specifically addresses the issues of the mirror image and prematurity in the child’s experience with the mirror stage. A comparative analysis of the works of the two authors was made, highlighting the influence of Wallon’s developmental psychology on Lacan’s early formulations on the functions of the mirror image and prematurity. Finally, it is a question of identifying the implications of these theoretical connections between the theory of the imaginary developed by Lacan in his early work and Wallon’s developmental psychology and to argue for the relevance of these contributions to the understanding of this specific moment of the construction of the Lacanian corpus. The importance and the ramifications of this influence do not seem to have yet been examined in detail by the literature of the field.

Keywords:
Jacques Lacan; Henri Wallon; Mirror Image; Prematurity