What’s the Reality Principle?

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The reality principle is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud and is different from Freud’s better known “pleasure principle” because it expresses the ability of the mature mind to avoid immediate gratification in favor of long-term satisfaction. Both ideas have to do with the theoretical sections of the mind created by Freud: the ego, the id and the superego. Actually, it is more accurate to say that the reality principle is a production of the ego, while the pleasure principle emanates from the id and can govern the ego if a person has not become mature and realistic.

Some examples of the reality principle are helpful in understanding it. A dieter chooses not to give in to cravings because he knows that satisfying the cravings, and thus satisfying the pleasure principle, is an empty short-term satisfaction that defeats the object of the diet. Someone with little money who is shopping with a friend decides not to shop, even though there is a strong temptation to buy. The buyer understands that any satisfaction from a purchase cannot outweigh the real need to be thrifty and careful with money.

These choices get rewards. The dieter can lose weight more easily by constantly avoiding foods during cravings. The buyer has less worries because they have not spent too much. In essence, people refrain from instant gratification because they know that such gratification gets in the way of pleasure later. It is the ability to judge the situation with long-term goals in mind and avoid the id’s constant plea for pleasure now.

When examples of the reality principle are given, it seems that most adults have developed this capacity in their ego. They are all adults and can easily override the id’s constant and immediate demands for gratification. This is far from the case, and most people will succumb to the pleasure principle at least sometimes, or they may have extremely underdeveloped id ego control.

If the reality principle is not in place, a different dynamic develops in the self. The superego intervenes, inflicting feelings of guilt because a person continues to strictly obey the pleasure principle. The ego gets caught between the “should” of the id and the “shouldn’t” of the superego, and from that point of view, a person becomes unhappy by constantly giving in to immediate desires and then constantly feeling that he shouldn’t. It is not difficult to find examples of adults living this way, although it should be noted that not all mental health professionals adopt the Freudian model of ego, id and superego.

With psychoanalysis from a Freudian point of view, one goal would be to control the id. To gain maturity and a better sense of self, people will gradually develop the reality principle and learn to postpone pleasure by making better choices. In a traditional psychoanalytic model, this could be the work of several years, and even with work, most people sometimes make the choice to get instant gratification instead of adopting the more modulated attitude of choosing delayed gratification that however it brings benefits.

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