Research has long discussed the question of whether a mirror image is a sign. A consensus has been reached that a mirror image not only is a sign, but also distinguishes between a matter-sign and a mental sign. In the mirror stage, although the subject knows himself through trial and error as well as comparison and contrast, the mirror-image sign works alongside other signs such as language to construct the self. As the semiotic self-comprises “I,” “me,” and “you,” which enter into dialogue, the mirror image constructs the self in three ways after the mirror stage: sending intention to me, sending intention to you, and sending intention to the other. These different methods of self-construction reflect the different functions of mirror-image signs.
