Ordinary Unhappiness cover image

55: What is the Pleasure Principle? feat. Rebecca Ariel Porte

Ordinary Unhappiness

NOTE

Teenage Development and Sexual Desire

During puberty, teenagers experience significant changes in their bodies, pleasure preferences, and desires. Pleasure and desire can evolve and expand, leading to a broader range of interests. Sexual desire is distinct from other desires like food or wine due to its unique role in human experience. The latency period in adolescence connects sexual instincts more closely to fantasy, which is separated from reality testing. Fantasy relies on suspending disbelief and committing fully to the imagined experience. The reality ego balances the pleasure ego by striving for usefulness and protecting against harm. The concept of deferring gratification for a metaphysical reward symbolizes the interplay between the pleasure and reality principles, where the reality principle safeguards the remnants of the pleasure principle.

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