Plutchik proposed that there are eight primary emotions, which he referred to as “basic emotions”: anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, anticipation, joy, and acceptance. He published an internationally respected author on emotions titled The Emotional – The Psycho Evolutionary Synthesis. Robert Plutchik (1927 – 2006) was a psychologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and acted as an adjunct professor in Florida. The concept of an emotion wheel can be traced back to the work of psychologist Robert Plutchik, who developed a theory of emotions in the 1980s. It can provide a common language and framework for discussing emotions, and it can help people to recognize and validate the emotions of others. In addition to helping you understand and express your emotions, an emotions wheel can also be a useful tool for helping others understand and express their emotions. You can also use the emotions wheel to identify and name emotions that you may not be familiar with or have difficulty describing. You can then locate the section of the wheel that corresponds to that emotion and read the label or description to understand more about what that emotion means and how it is experienced. To use an emotions wheel, you can start by looking at the emotions represented on the wheel and identifying which ones you are currently feeling. The emotions are usually arranged in a way that reflects their relationship with one another, with closely related emotions placed near each other.įor example, emotions such as happiness, excitement, and contentment might be placed together, while emotions such as anger, frustration, and disappointment might be grouped together in a different section of the wheel. It is typically organized as a circle, with each section of the circle representing a different emotion. View these as primary and secondary emotions. You’ll find less intense variations of these core emotions when you reach the outer edges.

In the center are the eight core emotions. They can also be useful for identifying and naming emotions that people may not be familiar with or have difficulty describing.Īn emotion wheel works by providing a colorful visual representation of different emotions and the relationships between them. Some emotions wheels also include a label or description for each emotion to help people understand what it means and how it is experienced.Įmotion wheels can be helpful tools for understanding and expressing emotions, as they provide a structured way of organizing and categorizing feelings. The emotions are typically arranged to reflect their relationships, with closely related emotions placed near each other. It typically consists of a circle divided into sections, each of which represents a different emotion. An Emotional Wheel or Feeling Wheel Can Increase Emotional IntelligenceĪn emotions wheel is a visual representation of different emotions humans experience.

Emotional wheel