definitions

pleasure principle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pleasure principle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Psychoanalysis.

an automatic mental drive or instinct seeking to avoid pain and to obtain pleasure.

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Nearby words

pleasence, pleasing, pleasurable, pleasure, pleasure dome, pleasure principle, pleat, pleater, pleb, plebby, plebe

Origin of pleasure principle

First recorded in 1910–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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 egoSee also hedonism
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine 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
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Culture 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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.