Are We Counting Emotions?

Do you like the chart? All colorful... and did you understand anything from it? If not, let me try to explain it in my own words. If I asked you how many emotions there are, what would your answer be? To this day, there is still no definitive answer to this question. Psychologists have attempted to classify emotions, but it is important to note that these are scientifically unvalidated models.

The colorful image is taken from Plutchik's model called the Wheel of Emotions. It is an evolutionary model, characterized by a limited number of basic emotions that can vary at different levels of intensity, and by secondary emotions that derive from combinations of the primary ones.

Let's see why it's an evolutionary model. Two posts ago, we saw that if we face a threat, we understand the danger and feel fear, followed by a fleeing behavior that has a protective effect. Evolution has shaped physical and behavioral traits in us that move us away/defend us from dangers and bring us closer to a partner.

According to Plutchik, there are 8 primary emotions, which he sees as four opposing pairs:

• Joy and Sadness.
• Fear and Anger.
• Trust and Disgust.
• Surprise and Anticipation.

Moreover, these primary emotions have different levels of intensity. For example:

• Joy ranges from serenity to ecstasy.
• Fear ranges from apprehension to terror.
• Anger ranges from annoyance to fury.
• Disgust ranges from boredom to contempt.

The secondary emotions derive from the combination of primary emotions, resulting in:

• Joy and Trust give Love.
• Trust and Fear give Submission.
• Fear and Surprise give Shock.
• Surprise and Sadness give Disappointment.
• Sadness and Disgust give Remorse.
• Disgust and Anger give Contempt.
• Anger and Anticipation give Aggressiveness.
• Anticipation and Joy give Optimism.

Sources:
- Plutchik, R. (1960) - The Multifactor-Analytic Theory of Emotion.

If you want to explore the model interactively, you can do so at this link: https://www.6seconds.org/2022/03/13/plutchik-wheel-emotions/
If you want me to describe a psychology topic in my own words, write it in the comments.