Robert Plutchik's Theory of Emotions

1. Psychoevolutionary model of emotions
2. Ekman's basic emotions and how to recognize them
3. Wheel of Emotions by Robert Plutchik
4. Things to know (Q&A)

As long as humanity exists, it is so much concerned about the question of emotions - what kind of phenomenon is it, why do they arise and why are they so difficult to control, what is the meaning of them and how many of them exist. Many fiction books are devoted to emotions, feelings and experiences of the soul, or touch on this topic in one way or another, and no less number of academic articles and studies have been written about them. At the moment, there are about a hundred scientific definitions of emotions, dozens of classifications and a number of theories regarding this burning phenomenon.

In this article, we want to consider the adaptation model of emotions developed by the American psychologist Robert Plutchik. Plutchik devoted many decades to the study of the nature of emotions, as well as their evolutionary prerequisites and mechanisms, features and causes of protective mental reactions, as well as to the psychodiagnostic details of human types. The fruit of all these scientific researches was the adaptive (or psychoevolutionary) model of emotions and the so-called Wheel of emotions, which we will consider.

Let's understand the evolutionary background of our emotions better and get acquainted with the Plutchik model in detail.

Psychoevolutionary model of emotions

Plutchik's theory is based on the understanding of emotions as evolutionary mechanisms designed to ensure the best adaptation to external conditions and effective survival. In this paradigm, every emotion has a role to play as a facilitator of adaptive behavior, and behind every emotion there is a natural impulse that must be expressed. These mechanisms are genetically determined and work automatically, moving us and helping us to respond to external circumstances.

So, 8 primary, basic (or prototype) emotions are distinguished:

• anger;
• fear;
• sadness;
• joy;
• disgust;
• astonishment;
• anticipation (also called expectation, and this is a joyful expectation);
• confidence.

At the same time, all of them can be combined into pairs of opposites (bipolar pairs): anger - fear, sadness - joy, disgust - surprise, anticipation (expectation) - trust.

Plutchik notes that all these emotions are observed in animals for the same evolutionary reasons. That is, the fact that emotions are inherent not only in homo sapiens, but also in other biological species, confirms that they have a deep vital meaning. Basic emotions and stimuli drive animals, just as they do us, to the most appropriate behavior in terms of adapting to life.

To better understand what exactly the role of each of the basic emotions is, let's look at them in more detail. Plutchik decomposed the possible phenomena involved in the development of basic emotions into peculiar chains. In them, an external phenomenon (stimulus) entails a certain perception, a conclusion about it (cognition). This includes a certain experience (actually an emotion) that leads to the appropriate behavior. And all this is crowned by the effect or goal pursued by the individual in this psycho-adaptive model. Plutchik presented all the elements of this system in the form of a table in his book Theories of Emotions, published in 1980. From it we see that:

Thus, it turns out that the main role of emotions is adaptive. They evolved over the course of evolution in both animals and humans in order to help them best cope with emerging situations. Depending on what the situation is and what its significance is for the individual, the emotion allows one to act from the right impulse while maintaining bodily integrity and well-being.

Here we can draw a curious analogy with a different point of view on the basic emotions inherent in all people. Let's look at it in more detail.

Ekman's basic emotions and how to recognize them

The seven emotions described by Paul Ekman are also called basic or basic emotions. This American psychologist and researcher gained great fame thanks to his work, in which he showed that facial expressions of various emotions are universal for all people, regardless of their cultural, racial and other affiliation. Published in 1978, the Facial Movement Coding System (FACS) clearly and comprehensively demonstrates what micro-movements and facial expressions look like and offers a kind of code for reading emotions.

The 7 universal emotions described by Ekman include:

• astonishment;
• fear;
• disgust;
• anger;
• joy;
• sadness;
• contempt.

Each of the 7 universal emotions is distinguished by its specific micro-movements and micro-expressions of facial expressions, by which it is possible to accurately recognize it. You can study this aspect in detail in the article "Micro-expressions", but it is better to understand the whole system by reading Paul Ekman's books "Psychology of Emotions" and "Psychology of Lies".

We also draw your attention to the fact that for those who want to go even further in the ability to understand and “read” people, there is an online profiling training program. It is designed to teach you to recognize a person better, including leaving a psychological portrait and understanding real emotions, recognizing true and false ones. In addition, the program teaches skills to detect lies, stop manipulation and influence people. But let's continue.

As we can easily see, the above emotions practically coincide with all the basic emotions identified by Plutchik. The exceptions are joyful anticipation (anticipation, interest) and trust, which are present in Plutchik's system but absent in Ekman, and contempt. However, this fact does not devalue either one or the other theory.

Thus, Robert Plutchik's theory of emotions largely intersects with other theories of basic emotions, in particular with the system of basic emotions, mimic microexpressions of which are clearly described in the works of Paul Ekman.

Wheel of Emotions by Robert Plutchik

The wheel of emotions, created by Plutchik in 1980, represents emotions in the form of a kind of flower with eight petals. Each "petal" symbolizes one of the prototype emotions, with opposite emotions located opposite each other. It turns out that polar emotions oppose and balance one another:

There can be a huge variety of different emotions and feelings, but they are all either basic emotions or their mixture and derivatives. Thus, the eight emotions located outside the wheel, in the space between the petals, are a combination of the emotions of adjacent petals.

The wheel of emotions is made in color, which has a lot of meaning. Each emotion has its own color, and its saturation reflects the intensity of the experience, the brightness of the emotion. It turns out that in the very heart of the scheme there are the most vivid in strength, saturated emotions, in the second row (the second segment of the petals) the main (or basic) emotions proper, and then a less pronounced version of each of the emotions.

It is worth noting that Plutchik himself did not call his graphic scheme a flower and did not use the term "petals". In his works, he presented a model of a wheel and a model of a cone, which form one whole. If the Wheel of Emotions is an expanded two-dimensional scheme, then the cone is the same model, but in a collapsed three-dimensional form. The original graphical model, which clearly demonstrates both schemes and their relationship, can be found in Plutchik's article from 2001 [The Nature of Emotions, 2001]

To summarize: the main 8 emotions and their different degrees of intensity can be represented as a circle, flower or wheel. This diagram, called the Wheel of Emotions, reflects both the saturation of each of the emotions through a color code, and demonstrates the relationship of polarity or opposite emotions. In addition to the basic emotions themselves, she indicates 8 derivatives formed by mixing two prototype emotional states.

Finally

Several practical implications can be drawn from Robert Plutchik's theory of emotions. Knowing this model helps you be more aware and better manage your emotions. To get the most benefit from this knowledge for your life, it is worth remembering the following points:

• What exactly am I feeling?
• What is the intensity of this emotion?
• How can it be called, denoted most accurately?
• What do I want to do under the influence of this emotion, what does it push me to do?
• What is important to me, what do I want to receive and how to feel in this situation?
• What other, more appropriate and efficient ways are there to achieve this?

So, the adaptation model of emotions by Robert Plutchik is not only a curious theory about basic emotions and the evolutionary prerequisites for their formation. With its help, a better understanding of the internal mechanism of psycho-emotional dynamics is possible, and this knowledge serves for greater awareness and self-organization. Based on Plutchik's model, one can more effectively use the energy potential and impulse of each of the emotions, and, while maintaining awareness and understanding, choose an adequate model of behavior and response to the situation.

We remind you that on our website there is a program "Mental self-regulation", the purpose of which is to teach practical skills to manage emotions and your mental state. It may be of interest to those who have difficulty controlling emotions and stress levels, as well as all those who simply want to learn how to manage any of their conditions.

And finally, we wish you awareness and turning your emotions to your advantage!

Things to know (Q&A)