The psychoanalytic concept that people instinctually seek to avoid pain and discomfort and strive for gratification and pleasure. In personality development theory, the pleasure principle antedates and subsequently comes in conflict with the reality principle.
In psychoanalysis, the demand that an instinctual need be immediately gratified regardless of reality.
In psychoanalytic theory, tendency to pursue actions or objects that provide immediate gratification of instinctual drives and to avoid discomfort and pain.
In psychoanalytic theory, the idea that people strive to avoid pain, hunger, and physical or psychological stresses in favor of pleasant experiences, e.g., food, sex, and narcissistic satisfaction.