When the father is more than just a signifier: Lacan's later work on the father-function in psychosis.

This article analyzes key developments in Jacques Lacan's later psychoanalytic theory on psychosis, focusing on his revision of the 1950s structural model centered on the "Name-of-the-Father," a symbolic signifier whose foreclosure underlies psychotic vulnerability. In the 1970s, Lacan introduced the concepts of "Father-of-the-Name" and "père-version," which expand the paternal function beyond symbolic law to include the creative act of naming and the inspirational example set by a father figure, respectively. Using the case of writer James Joyce, Lacan argued that mental stability can also be achieved through singular inventions called "sinthomes" and the notion of an "escabeau" (stepstool), thereby relativizing the necessity of the traditional paternal symbolic function. These later ideas suggest new ways to conceptualize psychosis and recovery, emphasizing multiple modes of organizing jouissance (excessive enjoyment) and social bonds beyond conventional symbolic structures.