The Psychology of Pleasure

(Originally written July 18, 2006 in Book 3)

The Virtue of Selfishness
Ayn Rand

The Psychology of Pleasure
Nathaniel Branden

Pleasure is not a luxury, it is a 'profound psychological need'.

Linehan - Instantly I brace myself for anger.

Pleasure is the metaphysical reward for success in life.

By enjoyment man experiences the value of life and understands that life is worth living.

"Pleasure or enjoyment is at once an emotional payment for successful action and an incentive to continue acting" (Rand, 61).

Pleasure is the feeling of being in control of one's own existence. Pain is the feeling of being helpless and not in control of one's existence.

Man's values reflect his or her conscious or subconscious view of themselves. They reflect two things:
1) Their self-esteem
2) His or her view of the universe, either it is benevolent or malevolent

There are five broad areas where enjoyment can be experienced (but they are interconnected)
1) In productive work
2) Human relationships
3) Art
4) Recreation
5) Sex

Productive work is the most fundamental and provides man with:
1) A sense of control over his existence
2) A sense of personal efficacy
3) Purpose

A life without purpose dooms man to feel out of control in his own existence. It makes him feel inadequate and unfit to exist and thus renders him incapable of enjoying existence.

Work can be looked upon in various ways:

1) One can find profound pleasure in work and will never cease to learn, to think and to achieve.
2) One can find pleasure in working in routines and enjoying a daze-like life. He sees happiness as being free from challenge. He has low self-esteem.
3) One who cannot find pleasure in work and works only for money to buy pleasures that shut off consciousness like alcoholic stupors, women and drugs.
4) Those who do not work productively but seek destroy others as pleasure They are parasites who live off the work of others.

Pleasure is experienced in various degrees. Only when a man uses his conscious life in the proper way will he experience pleasure at its pinnacle. Absence of fear or struggle is not this type, nor is pleasure through destroying consciousness.

The desire for pleasure is the desire to control reality in the rational man. The neurotic desire for pleasure is the desire to escape from reality.

Linehan - There can only be neurotic pleasure then in movies, books, art or music.

Pride is the greatest pleasure of all.

Pride is the admiration of one's own work. Admiration is of someone else's work.

The union of pride and admiration is romantic love.

The celebration of romantic love is sex.

I am starting to really become annoyed with Rand and Branden. Their 'high morality' is merely immorality presented as power. We are powerful enough to control reality. Firstly, they are not existentialists, so it is not an assumption of controlling one's own reality, which I would grant to to an extent. No, they claim to have the power to control reality itself. They are absurdly mistaken. Secondly, they are utterly inconsistent. But since it would be impossible to truly act on their maxims, inconsistencies are to be expected. I really want to finish this book and be done with their bullshit for a while. It's really starting to irk me.