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What Is Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions? PDF

This document provides an overview of Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. It describes Plutchik's theory that there are eight primary emotion pairs (joy-sadness, acceptance-disgust, fear-anger, surprise-anticipation) and how more complex emotions arise from combinations of these. The wheel is arranged in three concentric circles to represent increasing intensity of emotions from outer to inner circles. It can be used to understand the interplay between basic emotions and gain insight into one's feelings. Worksheets are suggested to apply the model in understanding emotions in different contexts like business.

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164 views

What Is Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions? PDF

This document provides an overview of Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. It describes Plutchik's theory that there are eight primary emotion pairs (joy-sadness, acceptance-disgust, fear-anger, surprise-anticipation) and how more complex emotions arise from combinations of these. The wheel is arranged in three concentric circles to represent increasing intensity of emotions from outer to inner circles. It can be used to understand the interplay between basic emotions and gain insight into one's feelings. Worksheets are suggested to apply the model in understanding emotions in different contexts like business.

Uploaded by

bobswagger
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions?

(PDF)
Let’s take a look at each of these emotions. But first, how about a clear idea of what we
mean when we use the term “emotion.”

In previous studies, researchers of emotions saw them as episodes influenced by stimuli.


More specifically,

“emotion is defined as an episode of interrelated, synchronized changes in the state of all

or most of the five organismic subsystems in response to the evaluation of an external or


internal stimulus event as relevant to major concerns of the organism” (Emotion
Researcher, 2015).

Above is a table from the International Handbook of Emotions in Education. It shows the
relationship between these various factors and sub-systems, as well as their presumed
functions (Pekrun & Linnenbrink-Garica, 2014). There are also plenty of books on
emotional intelligence.

Emotions influence our actions in five main ways.


1. Emotion Component
This is where an individual simply experiences the feelings. It’s about monitoring the
internal universe and recognizing what is being experienced at that time.

2. Action Tendency Component


Once the emotion is identified, the body moves into action. Emotions bestow certain actions
instead of others, which means that while some are beyond our control (and thankfully so),
like pulling your hand away from a hot iron, others are within our control, facing the fear to
continue with a speech or a presentation.

3. Appraisal Component
By cognitively analyzing the emotion, the individual is able to pick up on the situations,
actions, environments, or individuals that are causing the emotion. This aids the individual
in tracking how these stimuli impact their well-being. It’s also invaluable for helping
communicate the state of our internal world with others.

4. Motor Component
This is the communicative function of how we express what we are experiencing (facial
expressions, hand gestures, body movements, etc.). So it is extremely important on the
inter-individual level, as well as that of the individual.

5. Physiological Component
This component supports all others and is the chemical reaction that our body experiences.
For instance, the rush of blood flow to the hands occurs when one experiences the emotion
of anger.

While the components of the emotions we feel are present in all individuals, the intensity
and expression of these emotions differ from one person to another. There are also social
factors like gender, culture, and race, that influence why people may feel emotions
differently despite similar situations.
For example, hearing words like: “I am afraid,” “I feel jittery,” “I don’t want to be here,” or
“I just don’t have enough time to prepare for the final,” are all part of the different
components of an emotion.

“The first expression (I am afraid) describes a subjective feeling of fear. The second

example (I feel jittery) refers to the physiological component of an emotion. The third
example (I don’t want to be here) indicates an avoidance action tendency, which may or
may not be carried out. The fourth example describes several appraisals of the situation,
including goal frustration (I am not prepared) and lack of power (I do not have enough
time). Observable motor activities are also associated with emotions. For example,
facial expression, such as smiling or frowning, body postures, such as opening the arms
or raising the fists, and changes in the voice, such as raised pitch, can be observed in
emotional situations.”

(Pekrun & Linnenbrink-Garica 2, 2014)

The Wheel of Emotions

Now that the complex system of emotions, and all its components, is a bit more clear, we
can dive into the work of Plutchik and his wheel. (Pico, 2016)

The eight primary emotions that he identified, which are the basis for all others, are grouped
into polar opposites:

•joy and sadness


•acceptance and disgust
•fear and anger
•surprise and anticipation
The foundation of his emotions theory stems from the following ten postulates:
(Changing Minds, 2016)
•Animals and Humans
The midbrain (or the limbic system) of a human is similar to that of other mammals.
Animals and humans experience the same basic emotions.
•Evolutionary History
Emotions came into being as part of the evolutionary process, long before there were
apes or humans.
•Survival Issues
The most influential role of emotions is to help us survive.
•Prototype Patterns
These are the common identifiable patterns and elements that make up each emotion.
•Basic Emotions
The most basic emotions are the primary ones: trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust,
anger, anticipation and joy.
•Combinations
The adding up of these various primary emotions will produce new ones such as:
love = (joy+ trust), guilt = (joy + fear), and delight = (joy + surprise).
•Hypothetical Constructs
Emotions are constructs, or ideas, that help describe a certain experience.
•Opposites
Like many things in nature, there is a duality with emotions, hence each one has its
polar opposite:
– saddens is the opposite of joy
– trust is the opposite of disgust
– fear is the opposite of anger
– surprise is the opposite of anticipation
•Similarity
The degree of similarity determines which emotions are more related, and which
ones are the complete opposite.
•Intensity
This degree of change in intensity, from very strong to not so much, produces the
diverse amount of emotions we can feel. Such as:
– trust goes from acceptance to admiration
– fear goes from timidity to terror
– surprise goes from uncertainty to amazement
– sadness goes from gloominess to grief
– disgust goes from dislike to loathing
– anger goes from annoyance to fury
– anticipation goes from interest to vigilance
– joy goes from serenity to ecstasy
 

Elements of the Wheel

Looking at the wheel we can notice three main characteristics:

Colors
The eight emotions are arranged by colors that establish a set of similar emotions. Primary
emotions are located in the second circle. Emotions with softer colors are a mix of the two
primary emotions.
Layers
Moving to the center of the circle intensifies the emotion, so the colors intensify as well.
For instance, at the center of the wheel, the primary emotions change from: anger to rage;
anticipation to vigilance; joy to ecstasy; trust to admiration; fear to terror; surprise to
amazement; sadness to grief; disgust to loathing. Moving to the outer layers, the colors
become less saturated, and the intensity of the emotions lowers.

Relations
The polar opposite emotions are across from each other. The spaces between the emotions
demonstrate combinations when primary emotions mix. So we see the emergence of
emotions like love, submission, optimism, aggressiveness, contempt, remorse, disapproval,
awe, and submission.

How to Use Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

The beauty of this tool is in its ability to simplify complex concepts. Understanding is a
crucial step to solving any dilemma. When the question concerns our emotions that we
process on a subconscious level, it can be hard to first identify and verbalize our needs.

This is why the tool is so useful. It enables the user to visualize their emotions, and
understand which combinations of emotions created this outcome.

Once we objectify and understand the emotions, we can empathesize with ourselves, and
channel our focus in the direction of emotions we actually want to feel.

There are two ways to use the wheel, either as a two-dimensional circle or a three-
dimensional ellipse. Utilizing it as a two-dimensional circle lets the individual dive into the
emotion wheel. This then helps them discover what primary emotions they are feeling, as
well as how emotions combine to create secondary emotions like awe, remorse, aggression,
optimism, etc.).
When utilizing it as a three-dimensional form, the individual can view the emotional
intensity of the primary and secondary emotions. (Roeckelein, 2006)

According to Plutchik’s Sequential Model, emotions are activated due to specific stimuli,
which set off certain behavioral patterns. (Krohn, 2007)

He identified the following survival behaviors that drive our actions:

Protection: Withdrawal, retreat
(activated by fear and terror)

Destruction: Elimination of barrier to the satisfaction of needs


(activated by anger and rage)

Incorporation: Ingesting nourishment
(activated by acceptance)

Rejection: Riddance response to harmful material


(activated by disgust)

Reproduction: Approach, contract, genetic exchanges


(activated by joy and pleasure)

Reintegration: Reaction to loss of nutrient product


(activated by sadness and grief)

Exploration: Investigating an environment
(activated by curiosity and play)

Orientation: Reaction to contact with an unfamiliar object


(activated by surprise)
(Screenr, 2017)

This means that when our emotions are activated, they are done so to elicit one of the
survival behaviors. Of course, all of this happens on a subconscious level.
 

3 Emotion Wheel Worksheets

To tap deeper into the mind and get to the root cause of these internal emotions, here are
several worksheets to assist through the process:

•Clear and brief: emotions


Provides a snapshot view of emotions, and the way they are trigged in the mind.
Outlines the developmental levels our emotions grow through. And what it means to
be emotionally intelligent.
•Seeing Emotions
Sometimes it helps to see a visual explanation of a word or concept. If you would
benefit from common facial expressions associated with each emotion, then this
worksheet is for you. Browse and identify feelings by matching their expressions.
•Emotions in business
Those who earn an income by being an entrepreneur, then this worksheet is worth
looking through. It explains the experiences and emotions your clients want to feel,
and the environments you can create to cultivate these.
•Extra: How to Improve Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace.
 

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