Critical Essays on the Drive: Lacanian Theory and Practice (The Lines of the Symbolic in Psychoanalysis Series)

This thorough text provides a complete overview of the drive in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

Divided into four key areas, the book considers clinical, theoretical, historical, and cultural aspects of the drive, with editorial headnotes throughout. The introduction to the collection provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and history of the drive as a concept and is followed by discussion of clinical cases. Critical Essays on the Drive then assesses theoretical aspects, with chapters by world-leading Lacanian scholars. The final parts of the book explore the history of drive theory and its impact on art and culture, debunking the notion that the drive is a dormant or defunct concept and considering its applications by artists, academics, and cultural theorists.

Critical Essays on the Drive will be essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists in practice and in training. It will also be of great interest to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic and Lacanian theory, critical theory, and cultural theory.

Dan Collins is the Education and Program Director for Lacan Toronto and the founding member of Affiliated Psychoanalytic Workgroups. He lives and teaches in Buffalo, NY, USA.

Eve Watson is a psychoanalyst, clinical supervisor, and academic based in Dublin, Ireland.