Psychoanalysis as a Way of Thinking

Psychoanalysis is constructed as a field in which practice and theory are closely intertwined together. Although the main purpose of psychoanalysis was to provide a cure, psychoanalytical ideas are still perceived as important in a variety of fields. Lacan, who further developed the Freudian legacy by letting influences from structuralist and post-structuralists into analysis, is still influential in many fields from philosophy to politics. Known for his philosophical background, Lacan tried to provide a post-structuralist psychoanalytical theory, built on ideas of structuralist figures as Levi-Strauss and Saussure. In this article, whether psychoanalysis provides a way of thinking and what promises it gives are discussed from a Lacanian perspective, while many psychoanalytical terms are tried to be grounded. Connected to these arguments, whether or not psychoanalysis is a distinct way of thinking is further elaborated