Russell's Teapot issue 4

Humans are complex beings. It is common knowledge
that everyone is different and made up of
different psyches. We yearn to be understood by
parents yet keep information and emotions hidden.
We look towards astrology and personality types to
figure out ourselves and the people around us, to
figure out if they can feed our ego and have mutual
interests.
But what if that was all rendered useless? What
would be left of us?
~ Psychoanalysis ~
Our behaviour is motivated by desire whether that is
a conscious or unconscious decision.
It is the emotion of longing or hoping for a person,
object, or outcome. The same sense is expressed
by words such as “craving”. When a person desires
something or someone, their sense of longing is excited
by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or
person, and they want to take actions to obtain their
goal no matter how big or small. Yet according to
Jacques Lacan, who was dubbed the most controversial
psychoanalyst since Freud, this is our downfall.
Because of these desires, you can never be yourself
and are instead stuck in a desire loop.
‘But the things we strive to get make us more ourselves!
How could I be anyone but myself?’
Well, our desire is always pointing out of us, the next
step we want to take to be better, therefore
what’s not you are a fundamental part of you because
we think our desires will make us more ourselves.
Due to this, humans are always naturally longing for
more, ergo never being yourself. This psychoanalysis
is compiled of a few theories that will be explained
in more depth.
One of the first instances of these ideas appearing in
humans is ‘the Mirror Stage.’
This occurs when ‘the subject’ is a mere child or toddler
and has their first interaction with themselves
through a mirror consciously. It is the moment you
recognise the reflection in the mirror as yourself.
Fundamental but tragic, it is the root cause of anxiety
of being a subject and never getting the things you
desire.
Artwork by Leah Clery