Neo-Lacanian Developmental Structures: Quick Reference

What the heck is this guy talking about?

Neo-Lacanian structures is a developmental theory of the self, based on Jacques Lacan’s original psychoanalytic structures of Psychosis, Neurosis, and Perversion. Originally, these structures were a way to “diagnose” someone in order to guide psychoanalytic therapy. I’m proposing, more than that, they can be a useful framework of self-understanding.

The sequence of structures and their phases

Disclaimer: much of this post was generated from my notes with the help of Claude.

Structures at a glance

Most people fall into one of the first four structures:

Detached

The Detached structure emerges from the earliest attachment stage (0-3 months) and is characterized by experiencing the world as perpetually new and unfamiliar. These individuals rely on splitting as their primary defense mechanism, struggling to maintain a stable sense of reality or form lasting emotional attachments. When overwhelmed, they experience derealization - a profound sense of unreality or disconnection from the world.

The primary challenge of Detached structure is learning to maintain a consistent connection to reality and develop stable attachments.

Psychotic

The Psychotic structure, corresponding to the mirror stage (3-18 months), develops a strong relationship with the "Big Other" - the symbolic order of society. These individuals often focus on unity and cycles, embracing alternative ways of knowing and feeling deeply connected to larger systems or organizations. They use foreclosure (putting something behind a permanent barrier to make in inaccessible) to manage their experiences, and their primary crisis manifests as depression (profound meaninglessness).

The primary challenge of Psychotic structure is developing a stable sense of self and establishing boundaries between themselves and others/the world.

Neurotic

The Neurotic structure emerges during the labyrinth stage (18-36 months) and is marked by an intense focus on social rules and "being good." These individuals use repression (hiding something in the unconscious but keeping it accessible if needed) as their defense mechanism, maintaining a clear division between conscious and unconscious awareness. They're highly attuned to social harmony and relationships, though often from an egocentric perspective, and their primary crisis manifests as anxiety (existential anxiety about impossibility of being “good enough”).

The primary challenge of Neurotic structure is learning to balance their own needs with social demands without becoming overwhelmed by anxiety about potential consequences.

Perverse

The Perverse structure, developing during the dialectical stage (3-8 years), is characterized by the ability to hold contradictory ideas simultaneously through disavowal (refusal to admit something, in order to maintain productive contradictions between opposing things). These individuals maintain a playful relationship with rules and boundaries while holding a strong sense of fairness and ethics. Their primary crisis involves jouissance - an overwhelming sense of enjoyment that can become unbearable. They often approach life through a process of "failing forward," constantly testing and adjusting their approach.

The primary challenge of Perverse structure is learning to hold contradictions without becoming overwhelmed by the intensity of experience.

Phases

Everyone is born into the Detached structure, and you progress through each phase in sequence: Autistic → Histrionic/Schizoid → Borderline/Antisocial → Derealization, Bipolar → Dissociative/Narcissistic → etc.

The liminal and postliminal phases have a “feminine” and “masculine” variant (such as Borderline and Antisocial, respectively), where one will take precedence in a given phase. It’s not strongly tied to the individual’s gender and can switch back and forth as one progresses.

You get “stuck” at the structure and phase at which your patterns of thought & behaviour are adaptive to your environment. Your initial growth is limited by how your environment and caregivers support you.

(Pre/Post)Liminal

“Liminal” refers to the middle phase in a structure. It’s at the boundary between crises. Surrounding liminal are the “preliminal” and “postliminal” phases:

• Preliminal: Expanding. You have just discovered the new paradigm of your structure, so you are scattered, all over the place in terms of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Lack of consistency and focus, like dancing on hot coals, trying to avoid your structure’s symptom. For example, Bipolar is the preliminal Psychotic phase: you switch frequently between the poles of mania and depression.

• Liminal: Expanded. You are midway through the process of discovering and playing with the space of your structure’s paradigm. You haven’t quite mastered it, but you are willing to test your limits to find out what is possible.

• Postliminal: Contracting/coalescing. You’ve mastered your structure’s paradigm and are actively exploiting it to your advantage. More organized and controlled.

• Crisis: Contracted/coalesced. You are at the peak of your competence at your structure’s paradigm, but this is paired with a feeling like there is nothing left to gain. There’s nothing left to exploit, so all that’s left is the symptom. You might appear confident and self-assured, but at the same time troubled and lost in thought.

What’s special about this theory?

• It’s non-pathologizing. Either everyone is normal or no one is normal. There’s no such thing as “mental illness” because it’s not a healing-healed frame. Everyone is a process in development.

• It works at a more fundamental than other theories like Kegan’s constructive-developmentalism. You might declare that you skipped Kegan’s stage 3 and assess yourself at stage 4, but then find yourself in the Detached structure. Lacanian structures aren’t just about the ego, they’re fundamentally about the architecture of how energy and information flow through your nervous system, and patterns of ego/personality that emerge from that.

Sequence of structures and phases

Let’s jump into details about each phase in sequence:

Preliminal Detachment: Autistic

Key Characteristics:

• Most basic form of splitting - awareness collapses around single points of focus

• Difficulty integrating sensory experiences into a coherent whole

• Strong attachment to specific objects, routines, or interests

• World experienced as a series of disconnected moments/fragments

• Limited awareness of or interest in social connections

• Reality perceived primarily through concrete, immediate experiences

Information Processing:

• Splitting manifests as intense focus on one thing at a time

• When attention shifts, previous object of focus essentially ceases to exist

• Difficulty maintaining multiple perspectives or pieces of information simultaneously

• Very literal interpretation of information

• Struggle with abstract concepts or symbolic meaning

• Processing happens in a point-by-point manner rather than holistically

Behavioral Patterns:

• May avoid eye contact (eye contact requires integrating too much social information)

• Repetitive movements or behaviors (stimming)

• Strong preferences for sameness and routine

• Intense reactions to sensory stimuli

• Special interests pursued with singular focus

• May appear oblivious to social cues or conventions

Relationship to World:

• Objects and experiences either fully present or completely absent

• Limited sense of continuous self across time

• People often treated similarly to objects

• Difficulty understanding that others have different perspectives

• World experienced as a series of intense, immediate moments

• Struggle with change or transitions

Core Challenge:

• Basic task of creating stable connections between experiences

• Learning to maintain awareness of things even when not directly focusing on them

• Beginning to develop a more continuous sense of self and reality

This phase represents the most fundamental encounter with the challenge of the Detached structure - establishing basic continuity of experience. It's like trying to build a foundation for reality itself, piece by piece.

A key difference from later Detached phases is that there isn't yet even an awareness that something is missing or that reality could be different - it's a very immediate, present-focused way of being.

Liminal Detachment: Histrionic/Schizoid

Histrionic (Feminine):

• More socially oriented but in a superficial, performative way

• Uses charm and mirroring to navigate social situations

• "Tries on" different personalities/behaviors to see what works

• Emotions are intense but shallow and quickly shifting

• Seeks attention but without deep attachment

• More animated and externally focused

• Splitting manifests as rapidly shifting between different social personas

• May appear flirtatious or overly dramatic

Schizoid (Masculine):

• More internally oriented and withdrawn

• Uses emotional distance and detachment as protection

• Maintains rigid boundaries between self and others

• Emotions are muted or appear absent

• Avoids attention and social engagement

• More reserved and internally focused

• Splitting manifests as strict separation between inner/outer worlds

• May appear cold or aloof

Both variants share:

• Fundamental belief that others' behavior is largely immutable

• Difficulty forming genuine attachments

• Use of splitting as primary defense

• Lack of stable identity

• Problems with emotional regulation

• Struggle with genuine intimacy

The complementarity emerges in how they manage their detachment:

• Histrionics manage through active engagement but without depth

• Schizoids manage through active withdrawal and distance

For example:

• A Histrionic might attend every social event but never form real connections

• A Schizoid might avoid social events entirely while maintaining rich inner fantasy life

Both represent different strategies for dealing with the same core challenge of attachment, but take opposite approaches aligned with feminine (engaging/performing) and masculine (withdrawing/observing) orientations.

This liminal phase shows more sophisticated use of splitting than the Autistic phase, but hasn't yet developed the more complex relationship patterns seen in the Borderline/Antisocial postliminal phase.

Postliminal Detachment: Borderline/Antisocial

Borderline (Feminine):

• Oriented toward relationships and emotional connections

• Approaches relationships through a lens of attachment and abandonment

• More likely to turn emotions inward or engage in self-harm when threatened

• Tends to be volatile and unstable in their worldview

• Views others primarily through emotional impact/meaning

• Uses splitting to categorize others as all-good or all-bad

• Struggles with emotional regulation and boundaries

Antisocial (Masculine):

• Oriented toward rules, systems, and principles

• Approaches relationships through a lens of control and power dynamics

• More likely to act aggressively outward when threatened

• Tends to be rigid and inflexible in their worldview

• Views others primarily as means to an end

• Uses splitting to create clear delineations between right/wrong, useful/useless

• Maintains emotional distance as a defense mechanism

The complementarity emerges from how they each represent different responses to the core challenge of the Detached structure - establishing stable relationships with others while lacking the psychological framework for genuine attachment. The antisocial pattern takes a controlling, systematic approach focused on rules and power, while the borderline pattern takes an emotional, relational approach focused on managing abandonment fears.

Both use splitting as their primary defense mechanism, but direct it differently - antisocials split the world into useful/not useful categories, while borderlines split relationships into idealization/devaluation. Neither can fully integrate a stable sense of self or others, but they manifest this instability in complementary ways aligned with masculine/feminine polarities.

Crisis Detachment: Derealization

Derealization:

• The core symptom of the Detached structure

• Characterized by a profound sense of disconnection from reality

• The world feels unreal, dreamlike, or distant

• Difficulty distinguishing between internal and external experiences

• May feel like an outside observer of one's own thoughts and actions

• Often accompanied by a sense of emotional numbness

Key aspects of the Derealization crisis:

1. Collapse of splitting:

   • Splitting, the primary defense mechanism of the Detached structure, begins to break down

   • The clear delineations between "in my world" and "not in my world" become blurred

2. Overwhelming sensory input:

   • Unable to effectively filter or prioritize sensory information

   • Everything may seem equally significant or insignificant

   • Can lead to sensory overload and shutdown

3. Loss of stable identity:

   • Difficulty maintaining a consistent sense of self across time and situations

   • May feel like a different person from moment to moment

4. Temporal distortion:

   • Time may feel sped up, slowed down, or discontinuous

   • Difficulty connecting past, present, and future experiences

5. Existential questioning:

   • May grapple with fundamental questions about reality and existence

   • "Is any of this real?" "Am I real?"

6. Depersonalization:

   • Often occurs alongside derealization

   • Feeling detached from one's own body, thoughts, or emotions

This crisis phase represents the ultimate challenge of the Detached structure - the complete breakdown of the ability to create a stable, coherent reality. It's as if the fragmented, point-like experience of the world that characterizes the Detached structure has reached its limit, and the individual can no longer maintain even the illusion of a consistent reality.

For a Detached individual, this crisis can be both terrifying and potentially transformative. It may push them towards developing the more complex reality-testing abilities of the Psychotic structure, as they search for ways to rebuild a sense of coherent reality.

An example of how someone in this phase might describe their experience: "Everything feels like a dream. I'm not sure if I'm really here or if any of this is happening. It's like I'm watching a movie of my life, but I can't tell if I'm the actor or the audience."

This crisis phase is particularly challenging because the primary coping mechanism (splitting) is no longer effective, leaving the individual without their usual tools for managing their experience of reality.

Preliminal Psychosis: Bipolar

Bipolar:

• Characterized by extreme mood swings between manic and depressive states

• Represents the initial encounter with the mirror stage and formation of ego

• Oscillates between grandiose self-inflation and crushing self-deflation

Manic phase:

• Feels invincible, special, "on top of the world"

• Excessive energy, reduced need for sleep

• Rapid thoughts and speech

• Impulsive behavior, often with negative consequences

• Grandiose ideas and plans

• Heightened creativity and productivity

Depressive phase:

• Feels worthless, hopeless, empty

• Low energy, excessive sleep

• Slowed thoughts and speech

• Withdrawal from activities and relationships

• Self-critical thoughts

• Lack of motivation and productivity

The Bipolar phase represents the instability of the newly forming ego in the Psychotic structure. It's like the person is bouncing between total identification with the ideal image (mania) and total alienation from it (depression). This oscillation is a preliminary attempt to establish a stable self-image, but without the ability to integrate these extreme states.

In Lacanian terms, we might say that the manic phase represents an over-identification with the Imaginary (the realm of images and ideals), while the depressive phase represents a collapse into the Real (the realm of raw, unmediated experience).

The Bipolar phase sets the stage for the later Psychotic phases. The extreme states experienced here will be somewhat stabilized in the Narcissistic/Dissociative phases, and then given meaning/interpretation in the Paranoid/Schizophrenic phases.

It's worth noting that this Bipolar phase doesn't necessarily correspond directly to clinical Bipolar Disorder, although there can be overlap. In the context of this developmental theory, it represents a structural position rather than a specific diagnosis.

Liminal Psychosis: Dissociative/Narcissistic

Dissociative (Feminine):

• Strongly identified with merging/blending with others and the environment

• Absorbs and reflects qualities of those around them

• Seeks to understand and empathize deeply with others

• Often claims to be an "empath" who can feel others' emotions

• Foreclosure focused on establishing connections/resonance

• Experiences reality through the lens of universal oneness

• More focused on dissolving boundaries and becoming one with others

• May join existing cults/movements rather than starting their own

Narcissistic (Masculine):

• Strongly identified with their individual organs/parts/qualities as special and unique

• Projects a grandiose self-image outward into the world

• Seeks to be seen, recognized, and admired

• Names and claims things as "mine" - putting their name on everything

• Foreclosure focused on establishing clear ownership/authorship

• Experiences reality through the lens of personal greatness

• More focused on standing out and being different from others

• May develop a "cult of personality" around themselves

The complementarity emerges from how they each represent different responses to the mirror stage and development of ego in the Psychotic structure. The narcissistic pattern emphasizes individual differentiation and uniqueness, while the dissociative pattern emphasizes merger and unity. Both are attempting to establish a stable sense of self through the imaginary register, but take opposite approaches.

Both use foreclosure as their defense mechanism, but direct it differently - narcissists foreclose to establish firm boundaries around their specialness, while dissociatives foreclose to enable deeper merger with others. Neither has fully integrated symbolic functioning, but they manifest this through complementary strategies aligned with masculine/feminine polarities.

Both patterns still fundamentally relate to the mirror stage and establishment of ego - they just take opposing approaches to this developmental task. The narcissist sees themselves reflected everywhere and claims those reflections, while the dissociative dissolves into the reflections themselves.

Postliminal Psychosis: Paranoid/Schizophrenic

Paranoid (Feminine):

• Feels the world/Big Other is specifically targeting them

• Perceives hidden meanings directed against them

• "They're all out to get me"

• More focused on external threats/persecution

• Hypervigilant about others' intentions

• May collect "evidence" of conspiracies against them

• Experiences reality as hostile but meaningful

• More likely to defend/protect against perceived threats

• May develop elaborate systems to stay "safe"

Schizophrenic (Masculine):

• Feels they're receiving special messages from the world/Big Other

• Perceives hidden meanings meant specially for them

• "I'm being chosen/guided by higher forces"

• More focused on internal revelations/insights

• Hypervigilant about signs and symbols

• May collect "evidence" of special significance

• Experiences reality as mysterious but meaningful

• More likely to pursue/explore perceived messages

• May develop elaborate systems to understand "truth"

The complementarity emerges in how they each relate to the Big Other in the final phase of Psychosis. Both see hidden meanings everywhere, but the Paranoid experiences these as threatening while the Schizophrenic experiences them as enlightening. They're two sides of the same coin - the Paranoid sees persecution where the Schizophrenic sees revelation.

Both are trying to make sense of their special relationship with reality/the Big Other, but take opposite approaches aligned with feminine (defensive/protective) and masculine (pursuing/penetrating) orientations. Neither has fully integrated into normal social reality, but they maintain their separation through complementary strategies.

A Paranoid might say "The government is sending me coded threats through license plate numbers," while a Schizophrenic might say "The universe is sending me coded wisdom through license plate numbers." The structure is the same, but the interpretation and response are opposite.

Crisis Psychosis: Depression

Core Characteristics:

• Profound sense of emptiness and meaninglessness

• Loss of connection to the grandiose/special self-image

• Collapse of foreclosure as a defense mechanism

• Deep feeling of being cut off from the Big Other

• Awareness that reality isn't matching their internal narrative

Key Manifestations:

• Unlike earlier structures' experience of "depression":

  • Not just emotional numbness (Detached)

  • Not temporary sadness

  • But a fundamental crisis of meaning and identity

• Loss of the sense of special connection to reality

• Painful awareness of the gap between ideal and actual self

• Feeling that previously meaningful synchronicities/signs have gone silent

• Crisis of the mirror stage - reflection no longer confirms identity

Different from Clinical Depression:

• More existential in nature

• Specifically about loss of special meaning/connection

• Related to collapse of Psychotic structure's way of making meaning

• Can occur even while maintaining daily functions

Examples of Experience:

• "The world used to speak to me, now it's just silent"

• "I thought I was special/chosen, but I'm actually nobody"

• "None of it meant anything after all"

• "The mirror shows a stranger"

• "I've lost my connection to the universe"

This crisis represents:

• The ultimate challenge of the Psychotic structure

• Potential bridge to Neurotic structure

• Confrontation with limitations of foreclosure

• Need for new ways of making meaning

The depression here isn't just emotional, but a fundamental crisis of the Psychotic's way of relating to reality. It's as if the mirror that showed them their special reflection has shattered, forcing them to confront a more ordinary existence.

This crisis can be transformative, potentially leading to:

• More grounded relationship with reality

• Development of more stable identity

• Movement toward Neurotic structure's ways of making meaning

• Integration of more realistic self-image

Preliminal Neurosis: Avoidant

Core Characteristics:

• First encounter with anxiety as fundamental experience

• Beginning to develop repression as defense mechanism

• Emerging awareness of social expectations and judgment

• Initial attempts to regulate behavior based on "shoulds"

• Still unstable and reactive in managing anxiety

Key Manifestations:

• Tendency to retreat from challenging situations

• Pattern of avoiding rather than confronting difficulties

• Strong desire to please others but unsure how

• Intense discomfort with social scrutiny

• Hesitation before acting or speaking

• Fear of making mistakes or being judged

Behavioral Patterns:

• May physically remove themselves from anxiety-provoking situations

• Difficulty initiating social interactions

• Procrastination as avoidance strategy

• Self-protective behaviors

• Risk aversion

• Careful observation of others to learn "correct" behavior

Relationship to Anxiety:

• Unlike earlier structures:

  • Not derealization (Detached)

  • Not depression (Psychotic)

  • But genuine anxiety about social performance and judgment

• Learning to use repression but not yet skilled at it

• Anxiety feels overwhelming and hard to manage

• May still resort to physical avoidance rather than psychological repression

Development of Superego:

• Beginning to internalize social norms

• Emerging sense of "right" and "wrong" behavior

• Growing awareness of others' expectations

• Starting to develop internal "rules" for behavior

• But rules are still crude and inflexible

Example Experience:

• "I better not try that, I might do it wrong"

• "Everyone will laugh at me if I speak up"

• "I'll just stay home where it's safe"

• "I need to figure out the right way to act first"

This phase represents:

• Initial encounter with neurotic structure's core challenges

• Learning to navigate social expectations

• Beginning to develop more complex psychological defenses

• Foundation for later neurotic development

The Avoidant phase is like the first attempt to handle the neurotic challenge of anxiety - through simple avoidance rather than the more sophisticated strategies developed in later phases.

Liminal Neurosis: Phobic/Stress

Phobic (Feminine):

• Characterized by specific, intense fears

• Avoids particular objects, situations, or experiences

• Anxiety is focused and externalized

• May develop elaborate rituals to manage fears

• Often aware their fear is "irrational" but feels unable to control it

• Tends to restrict their world to avoid triggers

• Uses repression to manage anxiety by avoiding feared objects/situations

Stress (Masculine):

• Characterized by generalized, persistent worry

• Anxious about multiple aspects of life (work, health, relationships, etc.)

• Anxiety is diffuse and internalized

• May develop rigid routines to maintain control

• Often feels constantly "on edge" or unable to relax

• Tends to push through anxiety, often leading to burnout

• Uses repression to manage anxiety by compartmentalizing or "pushing through"

Both variants represent different approaches to managing the core Neurotic challenge of anxiety:

• Phobics concentrate their anxiety onto specific external objects/situations, allowing them to feel more in control by avoiding these triggers.

• Stress types distribute their anxiety across many areas of life, attempting to control everything to prevent any potential threat.

The complementarity emerges in how they each employ repression as a defense mechanism:

• Phobics repress by avoiding and cordoning off specific fears

• Stress types repress by trying to control and manage all potential sources of anxiety

Both are attempting to establish a sense of safety and control in response to the awareness of lack (castration in Lacanian terms) that characterizes the Neurotic structure. However, they take different approaches aligned with feminine (avoidance/protection) and masculine (confrontation/control) orientations.

A Phobic might say "I can't go outside because I might see a spider," while a Stress type might say "I need to check everything ten times to make sure nothing bad happens." Both are attempts to manage anxiety, but through opposite strategies.

This liminal phase represents a more stable attempt to manage anxiety compared to the preliminal Avoidant phase, but still lacks the more complex strategies developed in the postliminal Hysteric/Obsessional phases.

Postliminal Neurosis: Hysteric/Obsessional

Hysteric (Feminine):

• Masters anxiety through performance and dramatization

• Constantly seeking validation from others

• Questions & challenges authority while simultaneously seeking its approval

• "What do you want me to be?"

• Expert at repressing/revealing selectively for effect

• Uses symptoms/complaints to communicate indirectly

• Identity organized around being desired/wanted

• More fluid and adaptive in social situations

• May appear dramatic or attention-seeking

• Skilled at reading and manipulating social dynamics

Obsessional (Masculine):

• Masters anxiety through control and systematization

• Seeks certainty through rules and order

• Strong adherence to principles and moral codes

• "Everything must be done correctly"

• Expert at repressing through rationalization and rules

• Uses logic/reason to maintain control

• Identity organized around being right/correct

• More rigid and structured in social situations

• May appear controlling or perfectionist

• Skilled at creating and maintaining systems

Both share:

• Sophisticated use of repression

• High awareness of social expectations

• Complex relationship with authority

• Mastery of neurotic anxiety

• Strong superego development

• Concern with doing things "right"

The complementarity emerges in how they manage their anxiety:

• Hysterics through fluid adaptation and performance

• Obsessionals through rigid control and systematization

Example situations:

• A Hysteric might manage workplace anxiety by becoming whatever their boss seems to want

• An Obsessional might manage workplace anxiety by creating perfect systems and procedures

This postliminal phase represents the most sophisticated manifestation of neurotic structure, with full development of repression as a defense mechanism and complex strategies for managing anxiety. Unlike earlier phases, they're not overwhelmed by anxiety but have learned to use it productively.

Crisis Neurosis: Anxiety

Core Characteristics:

• Culmination of neurotic anxiety

• Repression starts to break down

• Deep awareness of fundamental lack/incompleteness

• Can't find "right" way to be despite best efforts

• Overwhelming sense that something is wrong/missing

• Crisis of meaning within social/moral framework

Key Manifestations:

• Different from earlier structures' experience of "anxiety":

  • Not derealization (Detached)

  • Not meaninglessness (Psychotic)

  • But existential anxiety about impossibility of being "good enough"

• Repressed content begins breaking through

• Rules/systems no longer provide security

• Social performance feels increasingly impossible

• Awareness that no amount of effort will resolve core lack

Types of Anxiety Experience:

• Social: "No matter what I do, I can't meet others' expectations"

• Moral: "Being good is impossible - every solution creates new problems"

• Existential: "Something is fundamentally wrong and I can't fix it"

• Physical: Panic attacks, physical symptoms

• Performance: "I'm going to fail no matter how hard I try"

This crisis represents:

• Ultimate failure of repression as defense

• Recognition that being "good" is impossible

• Potential bridge to Perverse structure

• Need for new way of relating to lack/desire

Key Difference from Regular Neurotic Anxiety:

• Not about specific fears or situations

• But about the fundamental impossibility of the neurotic project

• Recognition that perfect social/moral adaptation is unachievable

• Crisis of the entire neurotic way of being

Example Experiences:

• "No matter how hard I try, I'll never be good enough"

• "The rules contradict each other - it's impossible to be right"

• "I'm going to break down/go crazy/lose control"

• "Everything I do makes things worse"

This crisis can lead to:

• Acceptance of imperfection

• Movement toward perverse structure's relationship with rules/morality

• New ways of dealing with lack/desire

• More flexible relationship with social norms

The anxiety here isn't just worry about specific things, but a fundamental crisis of the Neurotic's entire way of managing existence through rules, repression, and social adaptation.

This crisis phase often involves:

• Panic attacks

• Overwhelming physical symptoms

• Sense of impending doom

• Feeling of losing control

• Crisis of identity and purpose

It represents the exhaustion of neurotic coping mechanisms and potentially opens the way for new forms of adaptation in the Perverse structure.

Preliminal Perversion: Dependent

Core Characteristics:

• First encounter with jouissance as fundamental experience

• Beginning to develop disavowal as defense mechanism

• Emerging from neurotic anxiety crisis

• Dependent on external support/substances to cope with being "bad"

• Initial breaking of neurotic rules/morality

• Starting to recognize contradictions in reality

Key Manifestations:

• Strong need for support from others

• May develop addictive behaviors

• Seeking permission to break rules

• Difficulty making independent decisions

• Looking for others to validate "bad" behavior

• Pattern of leaning on external resources

Relationship Patterns:

• "Please help me, I know it's bad"

• Needs others to enable/justify actions

• May form codependent relationships

• Seeks authority figures who permit rule-breaking

• Often attaches to stronger personalities

• Difficulty being alone with decisions

Development of Disavowal:

• Beginning to see contradictions in reality

• Learning to hold opposing truths

• Starting to question absolute rules

• But still needs external support to maintain this

• Not yet skilled at managing contradictions independently

• May flip-flop between positions

Example Experiences:

• "I know I shouldn't, but with your help..."

• "Please tell me it's okay to do this"

• "I can't handle this alone"

• "Help me be bad"

• Use of substances/relationships to cope with breaking neurotic rules

This phase represents:

• Initial encounter with perverse structure's way of being

• Learning to break free from neurotic constraints

• Beginning to develop more complex relationship with rules/morality

• But still dependent on external support

• Foundation for later perverse development

Different from Prior Structures:

• Not about avoiding reality (Detached)

• Not about special meaning (Psychotic)

• Not about being good (Neurotic)

• But about permission to transgress while acknowledging rules

Liminal Perversion: Fetishistic/Repentant

Fetishistic (Feminine):

• Seeks to capture and collect enjoyment/experiences

• Like a Pokemon collector seeking rare specimens

• Develops different personas to achieve/experience more

• "I want to have/be/experience more"

• Focuses on adding "good" possibilities

• Masters disavowal through accumulation of experiences

• Creates new categories/ways of enjoying

• More explorative and expansive

• May appear pleasure-seeking or hedonistic

• Skilled at finding new sources of enjoyment

Repentant (Masculine):

• Focuses on acknowledging and taking responsibility

• Looking back at past versions of self critically

• Develops different personas to cover inadequacies

• "I must own up to what I've done"

• Focuses on cutting away "bad" parts

• Masters disavowal through confession/atonement

• Creates systems of redemption/improvement

• More introspective and self-critical

• May appear self-flagellating or harsh

• Skilled at self-analysis and correction

Both share:

• Sophisticated use of disavowal

• Development of multiple personas

• Complex relationship with enjoyment

• Ability to hold contradictions

• Understanding that rules exist but can be transcended

• Movement beyond simple good/bad dichotomy

The complementarity emerges in how they handle jouissance:

• Fetishistics through collecting and categorizing experiences

• Repentants through acknowledging and processing past actions

Example situations:

• A Fetishistic might collect experiences of breaking rules in different interesting ways

• A Repentant might confess and analyze their rule-breaking in detail

Different from Prior Structure:

• Can maintain awareness of contradictions

• More complex relationship with rules

• Ability to "become" different versions of self

• Understanding of both transgression and limits

This liminal phase shows more sophisticated use of disavowal than the Dependent phase, but hasn't yet developed the more complex strategies seen in the Libertine/Fundamentalist postliminal phase.

Postliminal Perversion: Libertine/Fundamentalist

Libertine (Feminine):

• "I don't want to work so hard anymore"

• Tired of constant striving

• Moves toward effortlessness and flow

• Lets go of the need to prove/achieve

• Masters doing things with minimal struggle

• More interested in ease than perfection

• May appear carefree or indulgent

• Skilled at finding path of least resistance

• Focuses on making things effortless

• Can step back from intensity of effort

• Acceptance of imperfection

Fundamentalist (Masculine):

• "Things must be right, not just more"

• Tired of constant accumulation

• Masters doing things exactly right

• More interested in correctness than quantity

• May appear particular or exacting

• Can maintain high standards without strain

• Acceptance of limitations

Both share:

• Mastery of disavowal

• Movement beyond earlier perverse struggles

• Complex understanding of rules/limits

• Ability to hold contradictions comfortably

• Sophisticated relationship with enjoyment

• Integration of different personas

The complementarity emerges in how they achieve mastery:

• Libertines through making things effortless

• Fundamentalists through making things correct

Example situations:

• A Libertine might perfect their hairstyle until it becomes effortless

• A Fundamentalist might perfect their hairstyle until it's exactly right

Path to Crisis (Jouissance):

• Libertine: Things become so effortless they can begin to enjoy more

• Fundamentalist: Getting things right becomes increasingly effortless

This postliminal phase represents the most sophisticated manifestation of perverse structure, with full development of disavowal and complex strategies for managing jouissance. Unlike earlier phases, they're not struggling with effort or correctness but have learned to achieve both with grace.

Crisis Perversion: Jouissance

Core Characteristics:

• Culmination of perverse enjoyment/pleasure

• Disavowal starts to break down

• Overwhelming experience of enjoyment

• Like grief or heartbreak, but also pleasure

• Building tension without release

• Physical sensation in the body

• Tingly feeling that becomes almost unbearable

Key Manifestations:

• Different from earlier structures' crises:

  • Not derealization (Detached)

  • Not meaninglessness (Psychotic)

  • Not anxiety about being good (Neurotic)

  • But overwhelming intensity of experience itself

Experience of Jouissance:

• Similar to orgasm metaphor:

  • Builds and builds

  • Needs release but can't find it

  • Becomes painful if too intense

  • Requires surrender to experience fully

• Both pleasure and pain simultaneously

• Too much to contain or control

• Body-based rather than purely mental

• Can't be fully processed or understood

Relationship to Disavowal:

• Disavowal no longer effectively manages the experience

• Can't maintain distance from intensity

• Unable to hold contradictions apart

• Everything comes together overwhelming

• Like trying to hold back a flood

Path Through Crisis:

• Must learn to surrender control

• Let go of self-consciousness

• Allow release without managing it

• Accept being overtaken by experience

• Move beyond perverse structure's mechanisms

Example Experiences:

• "It's too much but I can't stop it"

• "I feel like I'm going to explode"

• "Everything is intense and overwhelming"

• "I can't hold myself together anymore"

• Physical symptoms like tingling, pressure, tension

This crisis represents:

• Ultimate failure of disavowal as defense

• Potential bridge to Seminal structure

• Need for new way of being with experience

• Movement beyond perverse management of pleasure/pain

The jouissance here isn't just pleasure or pain, but a fundamental crisis of the Perverse's entire way of managing experience through disavowal and control. It forces a surrender that can lead to transformation.

Seminal structure

The framework is more limited with respect to the Seminal structure after Perversion, but here is Claude’s description:

Transition from Perverse to Seminal:

• Movement beyond managing contradictions

• Death of the Big Other as authority/audience

• Emergence of true faith/conviction

• No longer speaking to prove/perform

• Words become carefully chosen, meaningful

• Focus on specific purpose/calling

• Like the prodigal son returning home

Key Characteristics:

• No longer seeking validation from Big Other

• Speaking directly to others with purpose

• Focused on concrete goals for greater good

• Less concerned with personal enjoyment/correctness

• More interested in service/contribution

• Deep commitment to chosen path

Changes in Experience:

• Moving beyond perverse enjoyment

• Finding meaning in dedication to purpose

• Less self-conscious, more mission-focused

• Speaking truth without needing to prove it

• Acting from conviction rather than rules or desire

• Like medieval courtliness/propriety

Example Manifestations:

• Mr. Rogers' consistent "expression of care"

• Bernie Sanders' focused message on inequality

• Medieval Christian mystics' direct relationship with divine

• Carefully chosen repeated phrases

• Speaking to specific individuals rather than audience

• Focus on concrete action over theory/discussion

Different from Perverse Structure:

• Not managing contradictions

• Not seeking enjoyment

• Not performing for others

• But direct action from conviction

• Simple, clear purpose

• Dedication to specific calling

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There you have it. This has been a fascinating way of viewing myself and others for the past couple years, and has brought a sense of peace & grace towards myself, by virtue of calibrating expectations towards myself with respect to my current stage of development. Maybe it can for you as well!

If any Lacanians read this, I’d be curious to know what you think.

This theory is not mine but is built upon Lacan’s work by @TiffaniNWarren.

Also check out this thread about how people of different structures might respond differently to the same situation, via the Big Other.