Emotion Wheel
The Emotion Wheel, also known as the Feelings Wheel, depicts people's feelings in order to better understand themselves.
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What is Emotion Wheel?
The Emotion Wheel is a psychological tool proposed by psychologist Robert Plutchik in 1980. The following is a detailed introduction to it from four aspects: theoretical basis, structural characteristics, core emotions and derivatives, and practical applications.
Theoretical Foundation
Plutchik’s Emotion Wheel is rooted in his evolutionary theory of emotions, which posits that emotions evolved as adaptive responses to environmental challenges. Building on Paul Ekman’s research of six universal emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise), Plutchik added anticipation and trust to form eight core emotions. This framework reflects the idea that emotions serve evolutionary purposes—for example, fear triggered fight-or-flight responses, and trust fostered social bonding.
Structural Design
The emotion wheel is usually circular, and the intensity of emotions increases from the outside to the inside. The outer layer is milder emotions, and the closer to the center, the higher the intensity of emotions. The emotions on the wheel are distributed according to a certain pattern, and the central symmetrical emotions have similar evolutionary sources. For example, the trust-disgust axis comes from the common hatred of the enemy during the tribal period, and the anger-fear axis corresponds to the attack-defense during the hunting period.
Core emotions and derivatives
The emotional wheel is centered on eight emotions: joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise, expectation, and trust. Each core emotion can generate multiple secondary emotions or mixed emotions. For example, joy can generate satisfaction, happiness, etc., and fear can generate worry, anxiety, etc. At the same time, different core emotions can also be mixed to generate new emotions, such as joy and trust mixed to generate love, and surprise and sadness mixed to generate disapproval.
Practical Applications
The emotion wheel is mainly used to help people identify, understand and manage their emotions. When people are in complex emotions and find it difficult to express, they can find the corresponding emotional vocabulary through the emotion wheel, so as to better understand the causes of emotions and take appropriate countermeasures. In addition, it can also help people discover long-term emotional trends, understand their own emotional patterns, help them better cope with stress and negative emotions, and improve emotional intelligence and mental health. At the same time, it also helps to understand the feelings and reactions of others, and promote empathy and communication effectiveness in interpersonal communication.
Why use an emotion wheel?
The core reason why people choose to use the Emotion Wheel is that it can transform abstract emotional experiences into a specific framework that is recognizable and manageable. The following is an analysis from multiple dimensions such as psychology, cognition, and practice:
Break through the dilemma of "emotional aphasia" and accurately locate inner feelings
When many people experience emotions, they often fall into the dilemma of "not being able to tell what's wrong" (such as "empty heart" and "unexplained irritation"). The emotion wheel lists hundreds of emotional words in layers (such as extending from the core emotion "fear" to "anxiety", "panic" and "horror") to help people find accurate word labels from vague feelings.
Improve interpersonal communication and empathy skills
By learning the levels of different emotions in the emotion wheel (e.g., "disappointment" is closer to "sadness" than "dissatisfaction"), people can more delicately perceive the emotional state of others. For example, when a colleague says "I'm a little disappointed that the project was not done well", if you can recognize that "regret" may contain "self-blame" or "anxiety", you can provide more appropriate support.
Cognitive upgrade from "passive acceptance" to "active understanding"
The emotional wheel uses the structure of "core - derivative - mixed" (such as "anger" + "surprise" = "indignation") to allow people to intuitively see the causes of emotions. For example, when a person feels "resentful" about a friend breaking a date, he can understand through the emotional wheel that this is a mixture of "anger" (being offended) and "sadness" (frustrated relationship), and then realize that needs are not met (such as the desire for respect), rather than simply "anger".
How to use Emotion Wheel
Hear what people from around the world are saying about using Emotion Wheel.
locate your emotions
When emotions arise, carefully compare the emotion words on the Emotion Wheel from core to derived to find the description that best fits your feelings.
Analyze emotions
Analyze the root causes of emotions based on their positions and combinations on the wheel. For example, if you locate "disappointment" (a mixture of "sadness" and "anger"), you can think about which events or expectations were not met, leading to the superposition of these two emotions.
Formulate strategies scientificall
Based on the analysis of the first two steps, take targeted actions. If you find that the "anxiety" is caused by work pressure, you can try relaxation training; if it is "dissatisfaction" caused by interpersonal relationships, express your needs through communication and use the Emotion Wheel to effectively guide your emotions.
FAQ about Emotion Wheel
Q: Is emotion wheel a free tool?
A: Yes, Real Time Salary is a permanently free online tool that you can use for free at any time and anywhere.
Q: Will emotion wheel leak my privacy?
A: We will never do that. All the information you provide will not be uploaded anywhere, protecting your privacy is our most important mission.
Q: Can I use emotion wheel on my mobile phone?
A: Yes, you can use Real Time Salary on any device with internet access, including PC, Mac, tablet, and mobile phone.
What Users Say About Emotion Wheel？
Hear what people from around the world are saying about using Emotion Wheel.