Getting a Grasp on Lacan

I am still trying to grasp what Lacan is saying but this is basically what I have so far. Lacan focuses his studies and theories on the idea of the self. He thinks that the unconscious is the center of our beings. Lacan goes against the American psychiatric way of reaffirming the ego. Basically Lacan brings into question the theory of “I.” He explains that a person is born into a structure. In this structure the individual is constructed through language. Through this, Lacan questions the famous line by Rene Descartes “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes states that the “I” must exist because I think. Therefore the individual is self aware.

I believe that the I is an individual and there are many aspects that contribute to what the individual is. Every person is different, which creates the unique individual in all of us. Others do have an effect on you but I believe that you create who you truly are. Other outside forces do have an effect on you but you basically decide what you obtain from outside forces and what you disregard from outside sources.