The vicissitudes of the "subject" are explored in considerable detail, from historical, social, and psychoanalytic perspectives. In an examination of the psychic sphere of human beings, the author points out that "what is specific to humans is not sexuality but the distortion of sexuality…" Castoriadis emphasizes the role of the mother as a social individual, who first introduces us to society, and thus affects the way in which an individual relates and navigates within group structure. An exploration of the meaning of the conscious includes the degree to which this represents the subject as well as various ego functions: imagination, reflectiveness, and capacity for purposeful activity.