pleasure principle

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noun Psychoanalysis.

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

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Origin of pleasure principle

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby pleasure principle

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use pleasure principle in a sentence

I wanted to edit this anthology with the pleasure principle.
S.J. Perelman was a master of comedy. Nearly a century later, his work still delivers laughs.|Donald Liebenson|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
My body used for his hard pleasure; a stone god gripping me in his hands.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Pleasure shoots magically in every direction like an explosion of sparks.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I had the pleasure of meeting Stuart Scott several years ago.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But the qualities Mario Cuomo brought to public life—compassion, integrity, commitment to principle—remain in short supply today.
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion|Jonathan Alter|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Nixon said defending the two islands was “a matter of principle.”
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many so-called "humming tones" are given for practice, but in accepting them observe whether the foregoing principle is obeyed.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
A flash of surprise and pleasure lit the fine eyes of the haughty beauty perched up there on the palace wall.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Big Reginald took their lives at pool, and pocketed their half-crowns in an easy genial way, which almost made losing a pleasure.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He saw with evident pleasure the outward and visible signs of the old earl's immense wealth.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
As Felipe approached, the old man's face beamed with pleasure, and he came forward totteringly, leaning on a staff in each hand.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

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

Medical definitions for pleasure principle

pleasure principle

[ plĕzh′ər ]

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.

pleasure principle

Origin of pleasure principle

Words nearby pleasure principle

Words related to pleasure principle

How to use pleasure principle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pleasure principle

Medical definitions for pleasure principle

Cultural definitions for pleasure principle