The Mirror stage and it's role in development of an individual.

The mirror stage in all children, regardless of gender, lasts approximately a year from 6 to 18 months. Henri Vallon, the originator of the term, was the first psychologist to emphasize the importance of the mirror in the psychological structure of the child, which he developed in his book The Origins of Character in Children.

According to him, the external image of the mirror is used by the child to unify his body. This process occurs between 6 and 12 months of age, during the so-called emotional stage, which is described in Wallon's theory. This author also described the child's behavior in the face of a reflected image of himself and his immediate environment, especially the mother [1].


According to Lacan, the mirror stage is the phase of the formation of the human being. From the point of view of the evolution of the mental structure of each person, it represents a fundamental moment analyzed in the formation of the first draft of the Self [2].


The mirror stage is the moment of “individualisation of the subject in the mirror.” Until now, the child lives in a fusion of self and other. The body image was formed in the “network of a language safety ” [3] formed by the mother. This stage coincides in time with the oral stage of development and thus at first the child lives in confusion about himself and the other. Then, standing in front of the mirror, he sees only an image, in other words, what is in the mirror is not real. Finally, at the third, decisive moment, the child recognizes the image in the mirror as his own; in the same way, he will understand that the image of his mother next to him is separate from him, this is the image of his mother. It is here that the unification and initial identification with the reflection, with the image of the figure recognized by the other, takes place. This is a decisive moment for the child, who for the first time finds his identity, perceiving a holistic image of his body, which will precede the feeling of the unity of his personality.


Lacan, in his text, sheds light on what happens to the child on a psychic level during this experience:

1. At first, “imaginative anticipation” arises on the part of the child, because, having not yet reached neurological maturity or motor coordination, he still lacks control over his body, he nevertheless has the ability to carry out the unification of his body in his imagination.

2. this becomes possible thanks to the presence of his mother next to him: if he were alone, he would risk getting lost in the mirror. Here his mother holds him, talks to him, calls him, says his first name, last name, which she repeats, thanks to this the very first signifier is formed with which the child will identify himself. Thus, this emergence, this initial identification, becomes possible only through the presence of the mother, that “First Great Other” [2] in whom the child recognizes himself.

3. finally, the child’s recognition of his image causes him to “rejoice”: the one who until now perceived himself as a “fragmented body” [2] will embody the image of a single body, and the emphasized rejoicing shows that there is an investment of libido on his part.

The experience with the mirror raises a number of questions about the mental and libidinal development of the child, as well as about his future fate. It opens the child to the perception of other people's bodies as different from his own body. Now, comparing them, he will see that some have something in the place of the genital organ, while others have nothing. In this way he will be forced to question this anatomical difference and will therefore be able to approach the Oedipus complex. In addition, it will be possible for the child to emerge from the fusion with his mother in which he has lived until now, and thanks to which the Oedipal period can begin for him. This moment will become the starting point for all the symbolic operations that the child will have to perform during the Oedipus period.