Emotions are one of the phenomena that have experienced more ups and downs throughout the history of Psychology. Thus, they have lived through moments in which they were a matter of capital importance, and others in which they were barely considered.

Currently, emotional life is an object of interest for most professionals who are dedicated to the study of mind and behavior, having been categorized in many different ways.

In this article we will review one of the most brilliant theoretical proposals, the wheel of emotions of Robert Plutchik , which is not limited to its conceptualization, but also to the approach of its potential interactions.

A deep understanding of this issue can help us to understand a part of ourselves that influences almost every aspect of life (decisions, relationships, etc.).

Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions

Plutchik’s wheel of emotions is composed of eight basic emotions, which represent relatively common experiences in the experiential heritage , more specifically: joy, confidence, fear, surprise, sadness, aversion, anger and anticipation. The author recognized them as dimensions that rarely presented themselves, and that could be expressed in varying degrees of intensity.

It is this last nuance that makes this theoretical proposal so rich. Plutchik indicated that the emotional states described harbor a certain similarity between them, which makes them susceptible to be combined in different ways, culminating in the formation of a more complex feeling. He referred to these overlaps as dyads; and differentiated them as primary, secondary or tertiary (increasingly less frequent and embroidered by less kinship-like affections).

We then proceed to address each of the basic emotions, pointing out their different degrees of intensity and the particular way in which they can intertwine with each other to acquire new and almost infinite nuances.

1. Joy

Joy is a “positive” emotion, which is expressed as a state of well-being and satisfaction with regard to oneself and/or general conditions of life . Its more subtle degree is manifested as serenity (a regular state of calm, stillness and equilibrium), while the higher one takes the form of ecstasy (one of the most exalted human experiences of the state of mind and which has been adopted even by mystical texts of different creeds). Its opposite is sadness.

Joy can be combined in many different ways with other basic emotions. Its primary dyads have subtle links to the emotions with which it has the greatest affinity: trust and anticipation . In the first case it gives rise to love, a feeling of acceptance on which significant bonds between human beings are built; while in the second case it engenders optimism, a positive outlook on what time will bring.

Its secondary dyads would be the result of the combination with emotions with which it harbors a greater distance: fear and anger. Fusion with fear would give rise to guilt, through which a secret sense of unworthiness would be expressed, overshadowing a benefit that has been gained; and the second would result in pride, through which a vacuous exacerbation of one’s position on any issue would be evident, in the context of a confrontation with others.

2. Trust

Trust is an essential emotion for Plutchik, which implies the firm belief that one can act without danger of harm or damage . When it is attenuated it takes the form of acceptance, a sincere integration of the facts lived in the narrative of one’s experience. When it is inflamed, it becomes admiration, with which is expressed a total exaltation of the appreciation that is projected on a person or thing. Its extreme is aversion.

In addition to love, trust tends to combine with fear, being another of its primary dyads. When this happens it can be transformed into a state of submission, in which the will of the other is accepted despite the fact that aspects of one’s own freedom are sacrificed. This affection can be the result of bonds in which either of the parties exercises deliberate actions to provoke an imbalance, which promotes vulnerability or emotional dependence .

The secondary dyads of confidence, which are born from their combination with affections of greater similarity, concur with surprise and anticipation. In the first case, curiosity takes place, a sort of “rapture” of the focus of attention to increase knowledge about something that is perceived as important; and in the second case, conviction emerges, from which the principles that govern thought and behavior are embraced, as well as the values and objectives set for life.

3. Fear

Fear is a basic, universal and instinctive reaction; considered as such in practically all the typologies on emotion that have flourished throughout history. In its most subtle degree it is expressed as apprehension (an uncertainty pregnant with pessimistic expectation) and at the highest level it becomes a real terror or dread (a state that usually displays fighting or fleeing behaviour). Fear, an adaptive reaction to threats in the environment, has anger as its opposite.

The most elemental primary dyad of fear occurs alongside surprise, giving rise at that moment to what we know as fright or shock. This reaction constitutes an ominous nuance for an initially neutral affective state (surprise) , which is usually suggestive of underlying negative psychic states (such as depression or anxiety), or of the presence of stable personality traits that imply susceptibility to discomfort (such as high neuroticism).

As for his secondary dyads, he emphasizes the one produced as a result of his coexistence with sadness: despair . This state is one of the most critical for any human being, as it implies a subjective feeling of loss of control and defencelessness, the maintenance of which is an important risk factor for major depression. There is multiple evidence on this in the clinical and research fields.

Finally, fear can be intermingled with other emotions than those that are pointed out, in particular aversion and anticipation. The result would be shame (perceived fear of rejection for considering ourselves inadequate) and anxiety (concern about a threat that is located at an undefined and ambiguous point in the future), respectively. Both are common, and the potential cause of profound suffering.

4. Surprise

Surprise is an emotion whose nature tends to be considered neutral, and which implies a reaction to changing and unpredictable circumstances in the immediate environment . Depending on its degree, the slightest would be distraction, a state of slight attentional retention; and the most intense would be astonishment, which implies an absolute projection of the consciousness in the face of a subjectively overwhelming event (for better or worse). The opposite of surprise would be anticipation.

With regard to the primary dyads, those that occur most frequently when they are joined to other emotions, the one with sadness stands out. This emotional overlap translates into disappointment, which arises from the awareness of a negative and unexpected result that contrasts with the initially favourable expectations, on which hope had been placed.

Surprise can also coexist with joy (shaping delight) and anger (shaping indignation), resulting in diametrically opposed products. Delight is the result of receiving positive news about which no one was aware, which promotes existential joy, while indignation implies a state of offense in the face of adverse circumstances that have abruptly broken out. The latter case is common in interpersonal relationships, and a common motive for confrontation.

5. Sadness

Sadness is an emotional response that depends on the loss, which is expressed as grief and allows us to obtain social support from the activation of the mirror neurons of those who observe it . The mildest degree is isolation, a tendency to withdraw from shared activities; and the most severe is depression, the result of small cumulative losses that exacerbate the original grief. The emotion that acts as its reverse is joy.

As for their frequent combinations, or primary dyads, the one with the aversion stands out. The confluence of both implies remorse, a state of intimate discomfort that arises from behaviour that we consider inappropriate because of the impact it may have had on others. When allied with surprise, disapproval emerges, which suggests a disagreement with respect to other people’s ideas or actions, which are opposed to the fundamental principles or values that govern our lives.

In this deep emotional canvas, sadness can also coexist with anger. In this case the resulting product is envy, from which we project our shortcomings onto another person in a hurtful way , in which we perceive what we think we are suffering from. In some cases it can promote actions aimed at harming their status or deteriorating their worth.

6. Dislike

Aversion is an emotion suggestive of rejection, and of a crude and deliberate will to avoid. In its faintest limits it is expressed as boredom (or evident absence of interest), while in the most intense it becomes disgust or abhorrence. The latter translates into a stubbornness to maintain a physical or psychological distance from an element that is judged to be undesirable . Its opposite is trust, which stimulates rapprochement.

The most common mix of dislike, or primary dyad, is with anger . Under this premise, rejection is accompanied by an evident hostile attitude, which is called contempt. This is an emotional state responsible for some of the main problems that our society faces, which hides in its depths a certain shade of fear. Some examples would be xenophobia and other forms of hatred.

As for the secondary dyads, which occur much less frequently, the combinations of aversion with surprise and anticipation are noteworthy. In the first case, there is an experience of repugnance (a reaction of extreme disgust as a result of the irruption of an event that would be avoided under normal conditions) and in the second case, cynicism (through which a succession of acts on which there is a wide consensus of rejection, but from lies and premeditated hypocrisy, unfolds on the stage of social interactions).

7. Anger

Anger is a state that arises as a direct response to an affront, especially when it is attributed to the clear will of a third party, this being a perceptive element of great relevance for its appearance. In its mildest form it takes the form of simple anger (disagreement with another person in his words or manner) and in the most extreme it turns into rage (under which impulsive acts are often carried out). Speculative affect, in this case, is fear.

The most common dyad of anger occurs when it interferes with anticipation, producing malice aforethought . This implies acts of violence upon which a meticulous planning is built, which implies a meditated process of preparation and a high degree of sophistication. In many countries, crimes of blood that take place under the umbrella of malice tend to be considered extremely cruel, and the harshest penalties are reserved for them.

As for the tertiary dyads of anger, the one that arises from the intersection with trust is fundamentally important. In such a case, a state of domination takes place, which is absolutely opposite to that of submission, and which serves as a vehicle to bend the will of another person by protecting the bond established with him (hierarchy). Domination often resorts to leadership styles that are authoritarian and constrain individuality.

8. Anticipation

Anticipation is the reverse of surprise, that is, the articulation of clear expectations about the course of the future. The lowest profile of this emotion is interest , which implies a moderate degree of attraction towards a particular object or stimulus, and the highest is vigilance (a superlative level of attentional focus, which also lasts for long periods of time and consumes many cognitive resources).

The most common dyad of anticipation occurs when it simultaneously interacts with sadness, giving rise to pessimism. In this case, the expectation is burnished with a negative nuance, obscuring the path on which life will pass. It is a frequent emotional state in major depression, and also in other psychological disorders.

The complexity of the inner life

As you can see, the inner life is deep and very diverse. Human beings can experience several things at the same time and, in fact, that is our natural state . Knowing the possible combinations of primary emotions and their translation into subjective terms is essential to learn how to identify, discriminate and manage what happens inside us. That is, to have an adequate emotional intelligence.

Bibliographic references:

  • Manshad, M. and Petrovich, A. (2019). Summarizing Emotions from Text Using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions. Advances in Intelligent System Research, 166, pp. 291 – 294.
  • Plutchik, R. (2001). The Nature of Emotions. American Scientist, 89(4), pp. 344 – 350.