pleasure-unpleasure principle
- noun
- /ˈplɛʒər ˌʌnˈplɛʒər ˈprɪnˌsɪpəl/
- Specialized
:
principio del placer y el displacer
- In psychoanalysis, the pleasure-unpleasure principle is contrasted with the reality principle as the mind develops.
Examples
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The pleasure-unpleasure principle explains why young children often struggle to delay gratification.
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According to Freud, the pleasure-unpleasure principle dominates the mental life of the infant.
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The pleasure-unpleasure principle explains how our desires influence behavior.
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According to Freud, the pleasure-unpleasure principle governs the id's actions.
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According to Freud, the pleasure-unpleasure principle governs the actions of the id in seeking gratification.
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The pleasure-unpleasure principle helps to explain why children often react impulsively to their desires.
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In psychoanalysis, the pleasure-unpleasure principle describes how instincts drive behavior without consideration of reality.
Synonyms
1
8.6
A strong drive to get what you want right away without thinking about bad results
A natural drive that makes people seek pleasure and avoid pain, often in early childhood
Surface Forms
Morphology
pleasure-unpleasure + principle
The phrase is compositionally built from 'pleasure' + 'unpleasure' + 'principle', so a learner who knows 'pleasure' and 'principle' can infer it refers to a rule about seeking pleasure and avoiding discomfort. However, the term is technical (psychoanalytic), 'unpleasure' is nonstandard and the specific notions about the id, immediate gratification, and fantasy vs. reality are specialized and not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Pleasure-unpleasure principle comes from a simple picture: a baby reaches for what feels good and cries to avoid what feels bad. The words pleasure (wanting something right away) and unpleasure (trying to avoid pain) explain why this idea means the mind wants immediate rewards and often ignores 'reality'.