pleasure principle
noun Psychoanalysis.
an automatic mental drive or instinct seeking to avoid pain and to obtain pleasure.
Origin of pleasure principle
First recorded in 1910–15
Words nearby pleasure principle
pleasence,
pleasing,
pleasurable,
pleasure,
pleasure dome,
pleasure principle,
pleat,
pleater,
pleb,
plebby,
plebe
British Dictionary definitions for pleasure principle
pleasure principle
noun
psychoanal
the idea that psychological processes and actions are governed by the gratification of needs. It is seen as the governing process of the id, whereas the reality principle is the governing process of the ego
See also hedonism
Medical definitions for pleasure principle
pleasure principle
[ plĕzh′ər ]
n.
In psychoanalysis, the tendency or drive to achieve pleasure and avoid pain as the chief motivating force in behavior.
pain-pleasure principle
Cultural definitions for pleasure principle
pleasure principle
In psychoanalysis, the demand that an instinctive need (usually sexual or aggressive) be gratified, regardless of the social or practical consequences. Sigmund Freud held that the id was dominated totally by the pleasure principle, but that, with the development of the ego and superego, individuals become aware of the demands of social reality (the reality principle), and thereby learn to temper and regulate their quest for pleasure.