Applications of the Lacanian discourse theory in the field of communication

This article discusses the application of Lacan’s discourse theory in the field of communication. Based on bibliographical research, which includes texts of the author illustrating the proposed application, its purpose is to examine modes of use of this tool and the recourse to it as an instrument of interdisciplinary articulation. It is shown that the discourse theory serves as factor of rapprochement and differentiation, pivot for abductive reasoning, framework for historical evolution, criterion for systematization and underlying method, and that the interface between communication and psychoanalysis brought about by the application of this theory involves the notion of psychoanalysis in extension and operations of conceptual import, export and contextualization. It follows that this application is useful for research not only in communication but even in psychoanalysis, in addition to contributing to the understanding of the broader social context.