Who wants to be Happy? Is Your Happiness more important than Healing? Have you considered your Happiness as kryptonite to your sought-out healing journey after surgery? You probably have heard and listened to the song “Be Happy” by Mary J Blige. It’s a great depiction of the topic of how the desire for Happiness or pleasure drives our behaviors to potential harm after surgery. Our innate response to hunger, thirst, urges, desire for sexual intimacy, and the id drives many other humanistic needs. The id defines as to seeks immediate gratification, whatever the stimulant is starving for (Cherry, 2020). Freud Sigmund was famously known for creating the psychoanalytic theory. It focuses on the id, ego, and superego in human evolution from infantry to elderly stage of life. In this article, the id is the focal point of examining post-surgical patients’ human behaviors and how the id causes harm by satisfying their pleasure principle excessively. The medical definition of pleasure is any enjoyable or agreeable emotion or sensation to the pursuit of which most people, who are free to do so, devote their lives (Farlex Medical Dictionary, 2009). The three points that will discuss in this article: are the description of the hedonism mentality, the description of the hedonistic traits in post-surgical patients and explaining the adverse effects of the hedonism culture on post-surgical patients. 

The description of the Hedonism Mentality is a pleasure-seeking way of life; whatever feels good in the present moment to satisfy the id (Veenhoven, 2004). The Hedonism mentality sought out feel-good stimuli that remove pain and other displeasing sensory perceptions that may trigger a negative bodily sensation or emotions (Veenhoven, 2004). The Hedonism mentality is not all negative (Veenhoven, 2004). It does have its positive attributes to an individual’s mental, emotional, and physiological state. Hedonism mentality believes pleasure is the main motivator of human behavior (Veenhoven, 2004). The hedonistic mentality believes that life should be good and the overindulgence of resources and others to satisfy the pleasure principle to reach Happiness (Veenhoven, 2004). The philosophy of a good life is to avoid pain from every aspect (Veenhoven, 2004). Even though the hedonistic culture believes in pursuing Happiness, that will trigger good emotions from positive experiences (Veenhoven, 2004). However, the culture has a dark side because overindulgence leads to addiction, idleness, egoism, and damaged relationship with own health and with people (Cherry, 2020). It also creates a false reality that leads to severe maladaptive behaviors to combat the existence of the real world. The moral core values are at risk of being lower or destroyed. 

First, not all hedonistic behaviors are destructive (Chang et al., 2022). Hedonistic has a homeostatic attribute to the human body and mind after surgery, such as the body is dehydrated, so the desire to drink fluid is an excellent need to meet (Chang et al., 2022). The post-surgical patient experiences hunger from fasting for 12 hours (Chang et al., 2022). It is OK to feed the body food (Chang et al., 2022). However, the problems occur when the hedonistic behaviors are uncontrolled by not using good decision-making skills on quality, quantity, and timely for consuming substances, such as food, beverages, activities, recreational drugs, prescription drugs, following instructions, and others (Moore, 2013). They are prone to reject slow growth in Healing from surgery because of the stimuli which starve for instant gratification (Moore, 2013). It leads to self -injuries from hedonistic behaviors to the pursuit of the pleasure of consumption of alcohol, wearing tight-fitted clothing, and participating in vigorous activities before appropriate healing time (Moore, 2013). Choosing to sleep in positions that would harm surgical incisions in a specific body area—deciding to move the body contradictory to the doctor’s order for optimal Healing (Moore, 2013). These hedonic behaviors hinder the speed of surgical Healing physically and mentally long-term and could potentially cause injurious conditions (Moore, 2013).

Moreover, the price of pleasure or Happiness is more valuable to satisfy the id (Silverstein, 2017).  Not every post-surgical patient responds the same in pursuing pleasure (Happiness). I believe several post-surgical patients struggle with the temptation to satisfy the id on a greater scale because of the fear of missing out (FOMO).

Reflecting on the “Pleasure Principle” from the psychoanalytic theory in the id department. The id is never satisfied for an extended period. It keeps the mind distracted from other cellular and hormones communication with the rest of the body. The id exhibited narcissistic personality tendencies, which complement the hedonistic mentality perfectly (Cherry, 2020). It responds as a perfect dark fairytale for post-surgical patients because the urge to be comfortable, happy, and feel normal again allows them to experience despair, depression, and bewilderment (Green, 2019).

Furthermore, the id is searching for a resolution from pain to feeling pleasure, so it positions post-surgical patients in desperate conditions (Cherry, 2020). The id stimuli become stronger and more agitated (Cherry, 2020). The negative effect can be minor, or they could be serious (Cherry, 2020). The id undermines health (Cherry, 2020). The negative impact of embracing the hedonistic culture excessively is failure to heal surgical wounds and stopping the parasympathetic system from functioning correctly (Cherry, 2020). King Solomon, in the Bible, was known as the most hedonist and wisest man that ever lived (1 Kings 3:11,12).

King Solomon did not hinder himself from the pleasure principle but denounced it as folly and vanity (Booth, 2011). The id shows the lack of self-control tailored to sexual promiscuity. But it made King Solomon despair and destroyed his kingdom, his children, and family’s generational wealth (Booth, 2011). Two moral philosophers, Socrates and Protagoras, both protest that a hedonistic mentality leads to more significant pain than its immediate pleasantry.

In conclusion, the connection between post-surgical patients’ behaviors and the id (pleasure principle) is discovered in Freud Sigmund’s psychoanalytic theory. Hopefully, this article has brought more awareness to how surgical patients experience after surgery—showing compassion and understanding to assisting patients without criticism because we are all challenged by the id. But, in the end, post-surgical patients just wanna be happy.

References

Veenhoven, R. (2004). Hedonism and happiness, Journal of Happiness Studies. DeepDyve. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/hedonism-and-happiness-7LQXDR8x0h            

Chang, S., Sambasivam, R., Seow, E., Subramaniam, M., Ashok Assudani, H., Tan, G. C.-Y., Lu, S. H., & Vaingankar, J. A. (2022). Positive mental health in psychotherapy: A qualitative study from psychotherapists’ Perspectives – BMC Psychology. BioMed Central. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00816-6               

Silverstein, M. (2017). In defense of happiness: A response to the experience machine – volume 26, issue 2, Summer 2000. Social Theory and Practice. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.pdcnet.org/collection-anonymous/pdf2image?pdfname=soctheorpract_2000_0026_0002_0279_0300.pdf&file_type=pdf

Green, M. J. (2019). Bentham’s Utilitarianism. Bentham’s utilitarianism. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from http://carneades.pomona.edu/2019-Ethics/04.Bentham.html      

Moore, A. (2013). Hedonism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/    

Booth, C. W. (2011). Pursuing Pleasure and Pursuing the Wind– Solomon’s Lesson on Hedonism. Article: Pursuing pleasure and pursuing the wind—Solomon’s lesson on hedonism – the faithful word.org. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from http://www.thefaithfulword.org/solomonthehedonist.html

Farlex Medical Dictionary. (2009). Pleasures. The Free Dictionary. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/pleasures 

Cherry, K. (2020). How studying the ID helps us understand our dark side. Verywell Mind. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-id-2795275