The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I Function by Jacques Lacan describes the mirror stage that occurs in child development. The “Ideal-I” or “the mirror stage” takes place between the age of eight months to sixteen months. This is the point where the child now is able to recognize themselves in the mirror and in a symbolic sense. The child starts to have a sense of identity with themself and who they are and how they fit into the world. This fundamental period is when children become aware of their presence and thus control their bodies and movements. Before this stage, infants were dependent on the nuturings of their parents. The guardian and child were a united and co functioning pair. Once the age of eight months is reached however, this symbiotic bond is lessened as the child now has a sense and recognition of “I”. Their reflection in the mirror and their reflection of themselves through the caregiver allows the child to form their own mental image of themselves. The mirror stage is a big deal and a critical part in the child’s development because no longer is the child’s view of itself a cluster of parts and fragmented. Now, the child can see itself as whole and in some sense “real” in an imaginary state. This state of being perceived in the “imaginary” is developed because “The mirror stage is a drama whose internal thrust is precipitated from insufficiency to anticipation – and which manufactures for the subject, caught up in the lure of spatial identification”(1166). This imaginary image that a child seeks more of during the age of eight to sixteen months is similar to what adults experience. This experience encompasses trying to be more like specific role models or emulating celebrity figures who are looked up to. This emulation occurs due to a constructed mirror image we create. This stage as described by Lacan correlates with Frued’s theories because the child’s image is entirely constructed through layers of itself and thus the ego is manifested. Freud would attribute this stage as a form of narcissism. The love of oneself is formed during this stage as the fascination with one’s own reflection is formed and sought after. This all establishes the imaginary order of the world and how the child fits into it. Once the imaginary order ends, the child will enter the symbolic order and they will further examine their place in the world.