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Lacan's first official contribution to psychoanalysis was the [[mirror stage]], which he described as "formative of the function of the 'I' as revealed in psychoanalytic experience." By the early 1950s, he came to regard the mirror stage as more than a moment in the life of the infant; instead, it formed part of the permanent structure of subjectivity. In the "imaginary order", the subject's own image permanently catches and captivates the subject. Lacan explains that "the mirror stage is a phenomenon to which I assign a twofold value. In the first place, it has historical value as it marks a decisive turning-point in the mental development of the child. In the second place, it typifies an essential libidinal relationship with the body-image".<ref>Lacan, J., "Some Reflections on the Ego" in ''Écrits''</ref>
As this concept developed further, the stress fell less on its historical value and more on its structural value.<ref name="dylan_evans">{{cite book | last=Evans | first=D. |author-link=Dylan Evans | title=An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis | publisher=Routledge | year=1996 | isbn=978-0-415-13522-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iD3r5sbu_rkC}}</ref> In his fourth seminar, "La relation d'objet
The mirror stage describes the formation of the [[Id, ego and super-ego|ego]] via the process of objectification, the ego being the result of a conflict between one's perceived visual appearance and one's emotional experience. This identification is what Lacan called "alienation". At six months, the baby still lacks physical co-ordination. The child is able to recognize itself in a mirror prior to the attainment of control over their bodily movements. The child sees its image as a whole and the synthesis of this image produces a sense of contrast with the lack of co-ordination of the body, which is perceived as a fragmented body. The child experiences this contrast initially as a rivalry with its image, because the wholeness of the image threatens the child with fragmentation—thus the mirror stage gives rise to an aggressive tension between the subject and the image. To resolve this aggressive tension, the child identifies with the image: this primary identification with the counterpart forms the ego.<ref name="dylan_evans"/> Lacan understood this moment of identification as a moment of jubilation, since it leads to an imaginary sense of mastery; yet when the child compares its own precarious sense of mastery with the omnipotence of the mother, a depressive reaction may accompany the jubilation.<ref>Lacan, J., "La relation d'objet" in ''Écrits''.</ref>
Lacan calls the [[Specular reflection|specular]] image "orthopaedic
In the mirror stage a "misunderstanding" (''méconnaissance'') constitutes the ego—the "me" (''moi'') becomes alienated from itself through the introduction of an [[The Imaginary (psychoanalysis)|imaginary]] dimension to the subject. The mirror stage also has a significant [[The Symbolic|symbolic]] dimension, due to the presence of the figure of the adult who carries the infant. Having jubilantly assumed the image as their own, the child turns their head towards this adult, who represents the big [[Other (philosophy)|other]], as if to call on the adult to ratify this image.<ref>Lacan, Tenth Seminar, "L'angoisse," 1962–1963</ref>
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