pleasure principle

/ˌplɛʒər ˌprɪnsəpəl/

Definitions of pleasure principle

1. noun

   (psychoanalysis) the governing principle of the id; the principle that an infant seeks gratification and fails to distinguish fantasy from reality
   synonyms: pleasure-pain principle, pleasure-unpleasure principle

   antonyms:

   reality principle

   (psychoanalysis) the governing principle of the ego; the principle that as a child grows it becomes aware of the real environment and the need to accommodate to it

   type of:

   principle

   a basic truth or law or assumption