pleasure
jouissance
Quick Reference
[French ‘enjoyment’, connoting jouir ‘to come’ in the sexual sense]
1. In psychoanalytic theory, for Lacan, an erotic ecstasy beyond the Freudian ‘pleasure principle’, akin to the ‘death drive’ since entering the symbolic order requires its loss, normalizing and regulating pleasure ( plaisir ). The subsequent lack of jouis... See more
Quick Reference
[French ‘enjoyment’, connoting jouir ‘to come’ in the sexual sense]
1. In psychoanalytic theory, for Lacan, an erotic ecstasy beyond the Freudian ‘pleasure principle’, akin to the ‘death drive’ since entering the symbolic order requires its loss, normalizing and regulating pleasure ( plaisir ). The subsequent lack of jouis... See more
jouissance
Pleasure to the point of pain?
Recently I learned about Lacan’s concept of jouissance, which I’ve come to understand as pleasure that becomes so intense it’s hard to distinguish from pain. I’m fairly certain this describes the high of answering anxiety’s biggest questions: binging on information, hoarding social validation, buying stuff, so much stuff, crafting five-year plans. ... See more
Explores Lacan's idea of jouissance as a state where pleasure and pain blur, using it to illustrate how our compulsive behaviors to soothe inner emptiness can be both intensely gratifying and deeply unsettling.
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