Concepts of temporality in the theory of transference

This paper examines the temporal concepts that underlie the theory of transference in psychoanalysis. The paper reviews Freud's rejection of linear temporality as characteristic of unconscious thought in favour of regression, repetition, and deferred action. It then develops concepts drawn from Jacques Lacan's theory of the formation of the ego. Here, the biologically determined helplessness derived from the human prematurity of birth becomes transformed into an ego that anticipates subjective unity. The paper then moves on to the more complex theory of the temporality implied in subject formation, offered in Lacan's later theory of separation. Implications are drawn for the use and understanding of transference in the practice of psychoanalysis via clinical examples. In addition, Lacan's ideas on subject formation are proposed as an extension and clarification of previous psychoanalytic theories of development.