Emotion Wheel: Understanding What You Feel On A Deeper Level

Learn how emotions and specifically using the emotion wheel can help us navigate events in our lives.

Emotion Wheel

We’ve all had our feelings. Emotions exist in our reality and assist us in everyday activities as well as major-scale events in our lives. As children, our emotions may be rather black and white. However, as we get older, many more factors are considered when we have an emotional reaction to the world around us. Today I’ll go over a “feelings wheel” to help you understand and manage those human sentiments that we experience on a daily basis.

What Is A Emotion Wheel And How Does It Work?

Emotion Wheel

An emotion wheel is a tool that may be utilized to assist people in explaining and identifying emotions. It was created to acquire a deeper knowledge of our fundamental feelings as they become more complex states of mind.

Are There More Than One Emotion Wheels?

Yes! In the world, two well-known emotion wheels are currently in use on a daily basis. The Psychologist Robert Plutchik and Gloria Wlicox’s wheels are among them.

Why Is It Important To Understand Emotions?

In short, our emotions play a vital role in every decision we make. They guide us to what we should pay attention to and how we should react in any given situation.

What Happens When We Don’t Understand Our Emotions?

If we’re not aware of our emotions, they can get the best of us. This is because our emotions influence our thoughts, behaviors, and actions. If we’re not in control of them, they can control us.

How Can The Emotion Wheel Help Us?

A small boy helping indoors in kitchen with making pancakes.

The emotion wheel can help us by providing a simple guide to the different types of emotions we experience. It also helps us to better understand the intensity and complexity of those emotions. In turn, this allows us to manage our reactions and responses to the world around us in a more positive and effective way.

How Does An Emotion Wheel Work?

The Wheel of Emotions was made to assist you in recognizing and developing your emotional intelligence. You pull out the wheel whenever you have an emotional intensity, pleasant and unpleasant emotions, or any other emotional responses that you can’t quite figure out why you’re having.

Begin with a basic feeling and work your way out until you discover a word that works best for you. There is no wrong or proper approach to use an emotion wheel; follow your heart and pay attention to yourself and your body.

Eight Primary Emotions

Pantomimes emotions

In the center of the emotion wheel, the primary emotions or eight-core emotions are represented. They may be phrased differently on each wheel, but they are all understood in layman’s terms. The following are the primary emotions:

  • Anger
  • Sadness
  • Fear
  • Disgust
  • Trust
  • Surprise
  • Anticipation

The wheel works because every primary feeling has a polar opposite. In most cases, polar opposite emotions are emotions that can’t be felt simultaneously. Emotions proceed as follows:

  • Anger =/= Fear
  • Sadness =/= Joy
  • Disgust =/= Trust
  • Surprise =/= Anticipation

Secondary Emotions

Emotions can be blended together with those next to them to elicit certain feelings. Secondary emotions are sensations created by our complexity as human beings. Surprise, for example, may be combined with fear in order to generate an alarm, or anticipation might be combined with pleasure in order to produce excitement.

How Many Emotions Are On The Emotion wheel?

Dr. Robert Plutchik claims that humans are able to feel +34,000 diverse and unique emotions. The eight primary feelings remain in the same place on the emotion wheel. There aren’t many of them on the wheel, but with the aid of important emotions and secondary emotions, it may be feasible to come close enough to a specific feeling or even assist with weaker emotions.

Can I Make My Own Wheel Of Emotions?

Fashion designer in atelier. Young girl seamstress use sewing machine to create bespoke clothes
Fashion designer in atelier. Young girl seamstress use sewing machine to create bespoke clothes

You’re probably thinking about how to construct your own emotion wheel after learning the fundamentals of these feeling wheels. There are a few simple methods. You can check out pages or youtube videos on how to utilize different colored paper for help. The most important thing is to keep the core emotions consistent.

The Benefits Of A Wheel Of Emotions.

We figured out what the wheel is and how to use it. Why would you want to do that? Is it possible for it to make a difference? Emotional intelligence has been shown to increase when people use an emotion wheel. It can help individuals better understand and communicate with others in tense or high-tension situations. It’s also a wonderful method to teach children emotional intelligence.

Who Can Use An Emotion wheel?

Students Asking Questions

Anyone Can!

A wheel can be utilized as long as there is a method to express an emotional aspect in their thoughts. Find a wheel that uses kid-friendly phrases when using one on little children with limited vocabularies. If you want to keep it basic, use a wheel with only the core emotions.

When To Use The Emotion Wheel

The emotion wheel is an excellent way to process and understand your emotions when:

You have a strong emotional reaction and need help putting a finger on what you’re feeling.

You need to communicate your emotions to others but are having trouble verbalizing them.

You feel like you’ve been experiencing a range of emotions and want to get a better grasp on what they are.

You want to become more emotionally intelligent and learn about different emotions.

How Do I Use The Emotion Wheel?

There’s no correct way to use an emotion wheel. Here are some suggestions:

Identify Your Emotions: The first step is to identify your emotions. Determine what you’re feeling in the moment and find it on the wheel.

Label Your Emotions: Once you’ve found your emotions on the wheel, label them. This will help you better communicate what you’re feeling to others.

Communicate Your Emotions: The next step is to communicate your emotions. You can do this verbally or non-verbally. If you’re struggling to find the words, use the emotion wheel as a guide.

Process Your Emotions: After you’ve communicated your emotions, take some time to process them. This may involve journaling, meditating, or simply reflecting on your experience.

Choose A Coping Mechanism: Lastly, choose a coping mechanism. This may involve deep breathing, going for a walk, or talking to a friend.

The Emotion wheel is a helpful tool that can be used to understand and process emotions. It’s versatile and can be used by anyone. If you’re struggling to communicate your emotions, use the wheel as a guide. And if you want to become more emotionally intelligent, learn about different emotions.

My Final Thoughts

Conclusion

The emotion wheel was designed by psychologist Robert Plutchik to assist people in learning and understanding themselves better as well as others around them. It’s a fantastic method to teach children about their emotions and help them develop emotional intelligence. Keep in mind that your feelings are real, and it is normal and healthy to want to understand them. I wish you the best of luck in continuing to learn and develop into a better version of yourself every day. Remember to appreciate yourself and others around you.

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