A Psychoanalysis of Act and Action brings together the study of the philosophy of action and Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory.

Drawing on the works of Freud and Lacan, this book examines desire and the unconscious as key frameworks for understanding action. Londoño-Paredes explores key premises in the philosophy of action, while demonstrating how these may fall short in light of Lacan’s ideas. The book proposes an alternative to dominant philosophical interpretations, exploring Lacan’s framework through concepts such as the graph, the act, the transgressive act, acting out, and passage à l’acte. The paradoxes of action, along with forms of action that carry moral and symbolic weight are examined from a psychoanalytic perspective, helping us to understand the interpretive boundaries of action. By intertwining philosophical and psychoanalytic perspectives with clinical illustrations of real crimes, the book offers a fresh approach to action and act.

A Psychoanalysis of Act and Action will be essential for psychoanalytically informed readers interested in Lacan. It will also be of interest to academics and scholars of the philosophy of mind and action, cultural studies, and mental disorders.

Diego Enrique Londoño-Paredes is a psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist who received his doctorate in psychology from the Université Rennes 2, France. He is currently Professor at Escuela de Psicoanálisis of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Universidad Manuela Beltrán, and a member of the psychoanalytic association, Analítica.