--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [B]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms…" description: "\"“[B]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms of language, a pre-eminently social activity, Lacan permits us to explore the relations between the unconscio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/terry-eagleton-1660_lacan_b-y-reinterpreting-freudianism-in-terms_3062222.jpg" --- # \[B\]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms of language, a… ![“[B]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms of language, a pre-eminently social activity, Lacan permits us to explore the relations between the unconscious and human society. One way of describing his work is to say that he makes us recognize that the unconscious is not some kind of seething…” quote by Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/terry-eagleton-1660_lacan_b-y-reinterpreting-freudianism-in-terms_3062222.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/terry-eagleton-1660_lacan_b-y-reinterpreting-freudianism-in-terms_3062222.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/terry-eagleton-1660_lacan_b-y-reinterpreting-freudianism-in-terms_3062222.jpg) > ““\[B\]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms of language, a pre-eminently social activity, Lacan permits us to explore the relations between the unconscious and human society. One way of describing his work is to say that he makes us recognize that the unconscious is not some kind of seething, tumultuous, private region ‘inside’ us, but an effect of our relations with one another. The unconscious is, so to speak, ‘outside’ rather than ‘within’ us — or rather it exists ‘between’ us, as our relationships do.”” [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lacan reframes the unconscious as a social, relational phenomenon rather than a private inner realm. **In simple terms:** The unconscious is shaped by our interactions with others. Key Takeaway Recognize social influences on hidden thoughts. Themes psychology social theory language relationships Mood analytical thoughtful Type theoretical academic When to use this quote - therapy sessions - group discussions - educational seminars - media analysis Key Concepts psychoanalysis structuralism interpersonal dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do your relationships shape your hidden motives? - Can the unconscious be both internal and external? A Different Perspective It may overlook biological and individual factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity-lacan-5141323/) [Freudianism Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freudianism-terms-5141322/) [Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lacan/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Psychoanalysis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychoanalysis/) [Reinterpreting Freudianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reinterpreting-freudianism-5141320/) [Relations Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relations-unconscious-5141321/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious/) [Unconscious Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious-speak-5141324/) ## Related quotes > [“In conscious life, we achieve some sense of ourselves as reasonably unified, coherent selves, and without this action would be impossible. But all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/in-conscious-life-we-achieve-some-sense-of-ourselves-as-reasonably-2/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“Lacan, as we have seen in our discussion of Freud, regards the unconscious as structured like a language. This is not only because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/lacan-as-we-have-seen-in-our-discussion-of-freud-regards-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“If this constant sliding and hiding of meaning were true of conscious life, then we would of course never be able to speak coherently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/if-this-constant-sliding-and-hiding-of-meaning-were-true-of-conscious/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“Language, the unconscious, the parents, the symbolic order: these terms in Lacan are not exactly synonymous, but they are intimately allied. They are sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/language-the-unconscious-the-parents-the-symbolic-order-these-terms/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What Althusser does… is to rethink the concept of ideology in terms of Lacan’s ‘imaginary’. For the relation of an individual subject to society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-althusser-does-is-to-rethink-the-concept-of-ideology-in-terms-of/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“All sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/all-sorts-of-things-in-this-world-behave-like-mirrors/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [“What we are dealing with here is another version of the Lacanian ' il n'y a pas de rapport ...': if, for Lacan, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/what-we-are-dealing-with-here-is-another-version-of-the-lacanian-il-n/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [Lacan , Derrida and Foucault are the perfect prophets for the weak, anxious academic personality, trapped in verbal formulas and perennially defeated by circumstances.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/lacan-derrida-and-foucault-are-the-perfect-prophets-for-the-weak/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [In my view, only those who have had the courage to work through Lacan's anti-philosophy without faltering deserve to be called 'contemporary philosophers'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/in-my-view-only-those-who-have-had-the-courage-to-work-through-lacan/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [“We see not because everything is visible, but because something always defies the eye, persisting beyond the remit of mere representation. This something, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-vighi/we-see-not-because-everything-is-visible-but-because-something-always/) [Fabio Vighi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-vighi/) > [French intellectual life has, in my opinion, been turned into something cheap and meretricious by the 'star' system. It is like Hollywood. Thus we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/french-intellectual-life-has-in-my-opinion-been-turned-into-something/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If Lacan presumes that female homosexuality issues from a disappointed heterosexuality, as observation is said to show, could it not be equally clear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/if-lacan-presumes-that-female-homosexuality-issues-from-a/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [It's time for a recovery and reassessment of North American thinkers. Marshall McLuhan, Leslie Fiedler and Norman O. Brown are the linked triad I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/it-s-time-for-a-recovery-and-reassessment-of-north-american-thinkers/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I identify myself in language, but only by losing myself in it like an object. What is realised in my history is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/i-identify-myself-in-language-but-only-by-losing-myself-in-it-like-an/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [Lacan is a tyrant who must be driven from our shores. Narrowly trained English professors who know nothing of art history or popular culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/lacan-is-a-tyrant-who-must-be-driven-from-our-shores-narrowly-trained/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) ## More by Terry Eagleton > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [To claim that science and religion pose different questions to the world is not to suggest that if the bones of Jesus were discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/to-claim-that-science-and-religion-pose-different-questions-to-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“Evil may be 'unscientific' but so is a song or a smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/evil-may-be-unscientific-but-so-is-a-song-or-a-smile/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [All propaganda or popularization involves a putting of the complex into the simple, but such a move is instantly not constructive. For if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/all-propaganda-or-popularization-involves-a-putting-of-the-complex/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [God chose what is weakest in the world to shame the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/god-chose-what-is-weakest-in-the-world-to-shame-the-strong/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Reading is not a straightforward linear movement, a merely cumulative affair: our initial speculations generate a frame of reference within which to interpret what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/reading-is-not-a-straightforward-linear-movement-a-merely-cumulative/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What it means to be a ‘better person’, then, must be concrete and practical — that is to say, concerned with people’s political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-it-means-to-be-a-better-person-then-must-be-concrete-and/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What we consume now is not objects or events, but our experience of them. Just as we never need to leave our cars, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-consume-now-is-not-objects-or-events-but-our-experience-of/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“The theatre can teach us some truth, but it is the truth of the illusory nature of our existence. It can alert us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-theatre-can-teach-us-some-truth-but-it-is-the-truth-of-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [In the deep night of metaphysics, all cats look black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/in-the-deep-night-of-metaphysics-all-cats-look-black/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [We face a conflict between civilisation and culture, which used to be on the same side. Civilisation means rational reflection, material wellbeing, individual autonomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-face-a-conflict-between-civilisation-and-culture-which-used-to-be/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) [Explore all 215 Terry Eagleton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) ## More Lacan quotes > [Lacan is a tyrant who must be driven from our shores. Narrowly trained English professors who know nothing of art history or popular culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/lacan-is-a-tyrant-who-must-be-driven-from-our-shores-narrowly-trained/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“Lacan, as we have seen in our discussion of Freud, regards the unconscious as structured like a language. This is not only because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/lacan-as-we-have-seen-in-our-discussion-of-freud-regards-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [I identify myself in language, but only by losing myself in it like an object. What is realised in my history is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/i-identify-myself-in-language-but-only-by-losing-myself-in-it-like-an/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [“Language, the unconscious, the parents, the symbolic order: these terms in Lacan are not exactly synonymous, but they are intimately allied. They are sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/language-the-unconscious-the-parents-the-symbolic-order-these-terms/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What Althusser does… is to rethink the concept of ideology in terms of Lacan’s ‘imaginary’. For the relation of an individual subject to society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-althusser-does-is-to-rethink-the-concept-of-ideology-in-terms-of/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [It's time for a recovery and reassessment of North American thinkers. Marshall McLuhan, Leslie Fiedler and Norman O. Brown are the linked triad I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/it-s-time-for-a-recovery-and-reassessment-of-north-american-thinkers/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [If Lacan presumes that female homosexuality issues from a disappointed heterosexuality, as observation is said to show, could it not be equally clear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/if-lacan-presumes-that-female-homosexuality-issues-from-a/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [French intellectual life has, in my opinion, been turned into something cheap and meretricious by the 'star' system. It is like Hollywood. Thus we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/french-intellectual-life-has-in-my-opinion-been-turned-into-something/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“We see not because everything is visible, but because something always defies the eye, persisting beyond the remit of mere representation. This something, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-vighi/we-see-not-because-everything-is-visible-but-because-something-always/) [Fabio Vighi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-vighi/) > [In my view, only those who have had the courage to work through Lacan's anti-philosophy without faltering deserve to be called 'contemporary philosophers'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/in-my-view-only-those-who-have-had-the-courage-to-work-through-lacan/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [Lacan , Derrida and Foucault are the perfect prophets for the weak, anxious academic personality, trapped in verbal formulas and perennially defeated by circumstances.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/lacan-derrida-and-foucault-are-the-perfect-prophets-for-the-weak/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“What we are dealing with here is another version of the Lacanian ' il n'y a pas de rapport ...': if, for Lacan, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/what-we-are-dealing-with-here-is-another-version-of-the-lacanian-il-n/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“All sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/all-sorts-of-things-in-this-world-behave-like-mirrors/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [“If this constant sliding and hiding of meaning were true of conscious life, then we would of course never be able to speak coherently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/if-this-constant-sliding-and-hiding-of-meaning-were-true-of-conscious/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“...when do I actually encounter the Other 'beyond the wall of language', in the rel of his or her being? Not when I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/when-do-i-actually-encounter-the-other-beyond-the-wall-of-language-in/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) [Browse all 21 Lacan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lacan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[B]y reinterpreting Freudianism in terms of language, a pre-eminently social activity, Lacan permits us to explore the relations between the unconscious and human society. One way of describing his work is to say that he makes us recognize that the unconscious is not some kind of seething, tumultuous, private region ‘inside’ us, but an effect of our relations with one another. 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