Presentation Information
[SY-99-02]Rethinking Othering: The Added Value of a Lacanian Psychoanalytical Perspective
*Lotte Morel (Ghent University(Belgium))
Keywords:
Othering,Lacanian Psychoanalysis,Qualitative research
Research shows that ethnic minority patients are often confronted with racism, significantly increasing their risk of developing mental health problems. At the same time, studies across Global North countries indicate that these groups receive far less, or inadequate, mental health care compared to dominant ethnic groups. Postcolonial scholars have identified the process of ‘Othering’ as a potential explanation—where different subject positions (hegemonic vs. subjugated) are produced through discursive practices. This study investigates how mental health professionals working in outpatient centers in Flanders, Belgium, construct the ‘cultural’ or ‘racialized’ Other, and the strategies they employ when working with these patients. By applying Lacanian psychoanalytic concepts—namely the Symbolic, the Imaginary, and the Real—this study seeks to enrich postcolonial understandings of Othering by linking its societal dimensions with more individual, subjective processes.We conducted a thematic analysis of five focus group discussions with outpatient mental health teams across the five Flemish provinces. In these discussions, the figure of the cultural Other emerged as a 'hot topic'. While professionals expressed a strong need to address the challenges of working with ethnically diverse patients, there was also a marked fear of saying the wrong thing or overcomplicating the issues at stake. Different strategies for constructing the Other emerged: while all participants emphasized openness and curiosity, their practical approaches varied. Some professionals acknowledged their limitations and highlighted the singularity of each patient's experience. Others positioned themselves as experts in transcultural work, which risks what we term ‘Othering to the second degree’—a dynamic in which professionals are divided into those perceived as competent in this work and those who are not.