pleasure principle
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈplɛʒər ˈprɪnsəpəl/
- Specialized
:
principio del placer
- Freud described how the pleasure principle influences our behavior by urging us to satisfy our urges as soon as possible.
And maybe the first misunderstanding is about the pleasure principle.
- And maybe the first misunderstanding is about the pleasure principle.
Examples
-
A comparable suspicion of the pleasure principle seems pervasive in academic literary criticism at present, and for a number of reasons.
Academic text (1990) -
This process is critical in allowing the child to proceed from the pleasure principle to the reality principle.
Academic text (1997) -
A basic "pleasure principle" forces us to seek enjoyment.
Academic text (1997) -
MITZI: Well, you sure got your life defined by the pleasure principle, I say.
Fiction book (1992) -
And, being governed by the pleasure principle, they're particularly dangerous when their desires are being frustrated.
-
The pleasure principle suggests that people will seek immediate gratification without considering the consequences.
-
In psychoanalysis, the pleasure principle drives individuals to pursue their desires instinctively and seek enjoyment.
Synonyms
A part of the mind that wants things now, avoids bad feelings, and treats fantasy like reality
A natural drive that makes people seek pleasure and avoid pain, often in early childhood
Antonyms
- Formal
1
8.9
Part of the mind that makes you act to meet needs in the real world rather than wishes
How Immediate
185
3.6
- Specialized
1
8.6
53
3.3
- Formal
1
8.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally understandable as 'a principle/rule about pleasure', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a general meaning (something that governs or explains pleasure-seeking). However, the specialized psychoanalytic sense—the id's instinctual demand for immediate gratification—goes beyond the literal constituents and would not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Pleasure principle was used by Freud to picture the mind following a simple principle: always go for pleasure right away. That's why it means 'seeking immediate satisfaction without thinking of the consequences'.