pleasure principle
Seek joy instinct
The pleasure principle is the psychological drive to seek immediate gratification and avoid pain or discomfort.
In Freudian theory, it governs the id—the primitive part of the psyche that demands instant satisfaction regardless of consequences.
The reality principle, by contrast, learns to defer pleasure for practical reasons.
The term appears in psychology, philosophy, and casual discussion of human motivation: His spending habits suggest the pleasure principle is winning.
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- psychic energyForce behind mental processes
- idUnconscious instinctual drives
unconscious mind · instant gratification · appetite · oral stage · libido · primal urge · wish fulfillment · forbidden fruit · satisfaction · happiness · depth psychology · sensory experience · intrinsic reward · inner child · hedonism · ego · gratification · urge
- psychoanalysisFreud, id, ego, unconscious, Sigmund Freud
- hedonismhedonism, immediate gratification
- psychosexualitylibido, sexuality, sexual orientation, heterosexuality, homosexuality
- rewardreward, reinforcement, incentive, gratification, satisfaction
- drivesdrive, hard drive, flash drive, USB drive, CD drive
- fantasiesdaydream, fantasy, dream, wishful thinking, illusion
pleasure principlereality testing
Assessing perception against actuality
delayed gratification · impulse control · superego · conscience · moral principle
pleasure principledelayed gratification
Postponing pleasure for benefit
asceticism · duty · obligation · self-denial · self-discipline
pleasure principledelayed gratification
Postponing pleasure for benefit
long-term thinking · impulse control · planning · patience · foresight
pleasure, principle, principled, displeasure, pleasures, pleasurable, unprincipled, principally, pleasurably