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The 'work principle' states that primary pleasure is sought by using the central nervous system for the performance of well-integrated ego functions which enable the individual to control or alter his environment. Work has not been considered a subject for study but has been regarded only as a sign of mental health. The author formulates the term 'executant functions of the ego' to describe that organization of integrated functions by which we perceive, appraise and manipulate the environment. These are derived from the psychological and behaviouristic manifestations of the nervous system. From this it follows that all executant functions are a response to an instinct to master, and its purpose is to alter or control a piece of the environment. This idea is then discussed in terms of the reality principle, where gratification depends upon the efficiency of the intellectual and motor apparatus. Work is not merely a sublimation but is itself a primary pleasure. The repetition compulsion is a regression to the stage at which the executant functions were not satisfactory or to the stage of unlearned function.