Jacques Lacan was one of the most important psychoanalysts ever to have lived Building upon the work of Sigmund Freud he sought to refine Freudian insights with the use of linguistics arguing that "the structure of unconscious is like a language" Controversial throughout his lifetime both for adopting mathematical concepts in his psychoanalytic framework & for advocating therapy sessions of varying length he is widely misunderstood & often unfairly dismissed as impenetrable In this clear wide-ranging primer Lionel Bailly demonstrates how Lacan's ideas are still vitally relevant to contemporary issues of mental health treatment Defending Lacan from his numerous detractors past & present Bailly guides the reader through Lacan's canon from "l'objet petit a" to " The Mirror Stage" & beyond Including coverage of developments in Lacanian psychoanalysis since his death this is the perfect introduction to the great modern theorist