Kleine Dick en de grote Ander — Klein en Lacan over symbolisering

Dick and the Big Other — Klein and Lacan on symbolization Klein’s famous case of ‹Dick› (1930) has become paradigmatic for her understanding of the dynamics of sadism, projection and introjection, ego development and symbolization. In his 1953-1954 seminar, Lacan critiques this case over the course of several lectures, pointing out his differences with Kleinian theory and proposing an alternative framework to understand the case. This article explores the fault lines between the Anglo-Saxon and Lacanian psychoanalytic traditions through the lens of this historical dialectic. The crucial and enduring importance of the theoretical disagreement on the nature of the ego is discussed, as well as Lacan’s (mis)reading of the Kleinian notion of phantasy through an imaginary lens.