Real

n. the realm of nature or reality: one of three aspects of the psychoanalytic field defined by French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981). The Real is posited to be unknown and unknowable—in effect, unreal—because all that individuals ultimately possess are images and symbols. The other realms are the Imaginary and the Symbolic.

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Psychology term of the day

September 8th 2024

open hospital

a psychiatric hospital without locked doors or physical restraints. Also called open-door hospital.