CONTINUOUS MIRRORING THEORY: THE PERCEPTION OF OTHERS AS A RECURSIVE PROJECTION OF SELF-IMAGE

Abstract

This article proposes the Continuous Mirroring Theory, a theoretical model according to which all perception of others is structurally mediated by successive layers of the perceiving subject's self-image. Engaging with Jacques Lacan's mirror stage (1998 [1949]), Charles Horton Cooley's looking-glass self (1902), and the mirroring function within Heinz Kohut's self psychology (1971), the article argues that these formulations describe specific moments or functions of mirroring, but not a general law of perception valid for all relational experience. The Continuous Mirroring Theory proposes five principles — termed reflections — describing, respectively, experience as a mirror of the self, belief as a perceptual filter, the structural gap between self-image and other-image, specular projection as a general mechanism for perceiving others, and infinite mirroring as a recursive structure without an original image. The article further discusses the model's implications for clinical listening in psychology, arguing that recognizing the specular character of interpersonal perception broadens the therapist's understanding of phenomena such as projection, transference, and resistance. It concludes that the Continuous Mirroring Theory offers an original conceptual tool for thinking through the relationship between self-knowledge, perception of others, and clinical practice.