Welsh, Scott ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9707-8557 (2026) The Needle in the Ego Era: A History. Journal of Public Pedagogies (8). pp. 30-39. ISSN 2207-4422

Abstract

This article considers transgressive self-injection among substance abusers as a historical phenomenon and 'needle fixation,' a contested concept in psychological and addiction literature. It suggests that the movement of the intravenous drug use from medical contexts to self-enjoyment, or what Lacan would call 'jouissance' occurs over the 'ego era of history.' The medical instrument of the needle, its union with the vein of the user and its appropriation by and integration with the self of the user reflects a historical movement, where the self and subjectivity, has taken centre stage. It is from this context that needle fixation as a form of what Lacan would call "jouissance" emerges.

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