ABSTRACT
In this book, body image refers to some kind of ‘body subjectivity’. Chapter 2 goes through the history of the development of this notion, from the vague concept of cenesthesia to the nuanced notion of specular image that Lacan, echoing Freud’s questions about narcissism, developed based on Wallon’s observations. The construction of body image in child development, its alterations in psychosis, in everyday life psychopathology or in bodily deformations are discussed. A technique for exploring body image through drawn self-portraits is proposed. Normal self-portraits teach us a great deal about the metaphorical value of certain body parts, such as the mouth and the hands.
