Reading Comprehension

The extent to which French psychiatrist Jacques Lacan has had a significant impact on the modern field of psychoanalysis has been the subject of some debate. Harvard University professor and clinical psychologist Annie Rogers seeks to distill Lacan's opaque concepts into theories that can be applied practically in psychotherapy. In her analysis, Rogers claims that Lacan's contributions have been both undervalued and misconstrued. She concedes that Lacan's unique, idiosyncratic linguistic style has led to the dismissal of his writings by many psychoanalysts. Doubt about Lacan's authority is compounded by the fact that most respected psychoanalysts give credence to formal clinical case studies-scholarly work that Lacan's writings fail to reference. Still, Rogers credits Lacan with uncovering the methods by which the unconscious manifests itself through language. She has applied Lacanian theory in her practice of psychotherapy to treat victims of abuse.

Dylan Evans, a psychoanalyst who argues that Lacan's theories lack a sound scientific basis, has concluded that the application of Lacanian thought is more detrimental than it is beneficial to patients of psychotherapy. Evans' concern is Lacan's definition of "The Real"; this definition, according to Evans, inhibits patients from reaching a true understanding of themselves. Evans contends that Lacan's definition of The Real as "the impossible" (something that is both unimaginable and unattainable) is injurious, as it divorces the idea of conventional reality from The Real. Evans eventually asserts that the very entrance into language, the attempt to state The Real in words, signifies an irrevocable separation from The Real itself and is therefore impractical for the purposes of psychotherapy. Evans found that his patients experienced anxiety as a result of their inability to mentally differentiate between the real and the imaginary-a distinction which, owing to the limitations of language, can never be realized through conversation.

Despite the fact that Lacan's ideas are not always met with unqualified approval, it is true that Lacan was the first to suggest that knowledge is constructed on the basis of linguistic structures that organize not only our conscious, but also our unconscious lives. Evans' criticism of Lacan is challenged by Rogers' ability to effectively translate and apply the distinctive logic of Lacan's thinking to achieve successful results. Still, Rogers deviates slightly from Lacan, who was a Freudian thinker, in that her application of Lacanian thought undercuts Freud's emphasis on the bodily causes of behavior. Rogers instead focuses on the ways in which a human subject can use language to understand his or her relationships with others.

In comparing Dylan Evans' views on Lacan's theories of psychoanalysis with those of Annie Rogers, the author suggests that the key divergence between the two writers pertains to


(A) their ability to utilize Lacanian psychoanalytic theories for practical purposes.

(B) their understanding of the Freudian concepts that operate within Lacan's theories.

(C) the proper interpretation of Lacan's writing given its heavy use of figurative language.

(D) how each theorist understood the relationship between language and the unconscious.

(E) the extent to which Lacan's ideas have influenced the practice of psychotherapy.

This was a tough one for me.

(A) their ability to utilize Lacanian psychoanalytic theories for practical purposes. Yes. Rogers saw positive results while Evans saw negative results

(B) their understanding of the Freudian concepts that operate within Lacan's theories.--the author doesn't mention any differences in their understanding of Freud's concepts

(C) the proper interpretation of Lacan's writing given its heavy use of figurative language.figurative language is mentioned, but not as a difference between the two

(D) how each theorist understood the relationship between language and the unconscious. not mentioned as a difference

(E) the extent to which Lacan's ideas have influenced the practice of psychotherapy. I think both would say the ideas have influenced psychotherapy; they would disagree about whether that's a good thing or not

very tough, got A.

Last lines of first and two paragraphs will get us to answer A.

OA is A

I coudn't reach even an inch closer to A...

Was tossing between C & D as the entire first and second para hovers around language used.

Marked C finally

Can someone explain it further..

Jaiswal,

This question asks us to contrast the views of Evans and Rogers. Eliminating wrong answers requires a strong understanding not only of what Rogers and Evans believe, but of the sort of arguments and concessions they each make.

A is correct. It sounds deceptively simple and may seem wrong if you over-think it. Both Rogers and Evans attempted to apply Lacan's theories to their practice, though their results were very different. Rogers successfully treated abuse victims (she effectively translate[d] and appl[ied] the distinctive logic of Lacan's thinking to achieve successful results), while Evans' patients experienced anxiety. Therefore, utilization of Lacanian theory for practical purposes marks the "key difference" between them.

C is not the answer though, as it tempts us to make an unwarranted assumption. Rogers believes that Lacan's writings have been undervalued because of his use of language. However, the author never tells us how Evans feels about this controversy, only that many psychoanalysts dismiss Lacan because of his language use. According to the passage, Evans' problem solely focused on how Lacan's theories could be applied. Perhaps the two theorists do disagree about "proper interpretation given its heavy use of figurative language," however we cannot infer this from the text itself.

Nor E is the answer though, as it is quite deceptive. It is very plausible that Rogers and Evans disagree about the degree to which Lacan's ideas have influenced practicing psychotherapists. Certainly they disagree about whether or not Lacan's ideas should influence practice. However, this specific disagreement is not implied by the text. Both Rogers and Evans acknowledge Lacan's influence, but we cannot determine how differently they view this influence.

Hope this helps

jaiswalamrita wrote:I coudn't reach even an inch closer to A...

Was tossing between C & D as the entire first and second para hovers around language used.

Marked C finally

Can someone explain it further..