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Categorizing Human Emotions

The subject of human emotions is a complicated one. While experts agree that these affect all aspects of a persons life, a defining list of human emotions has yet to be created. Heres a quick look at two of the most popular methods for categorizing emotions: Plutchiks Wheel of Emotions

A renowned academician and psychologist, Robert Plutchik is known for his psycho-evolutionary theory on emotion, which is still widely referenced today. Here, he states that there are eight (8) basic emotions that evolved to increase an animals reproductive fitness. These are paired with one another, so that there are 4 primary emotions, each having a basic opposite:

Fear Anger Joy Sadness Surprise Anticipation Trust Disgust

From his theory, he developed a wheel of emotions in 1980 as a way of demonstrating the relationships that exist among emotions. Aside from the 8 mentioned above, he also included in the wheel 8 derivatives that combine 2 basic emotions. He referred to the resulting emotions as human feelings. Below is a list for your reference:

Awe = fear+ surprise Aggressiveness = anger + anticipation Love = joy + trust Remorse = sadness + disgust Optimism = anticipation + joy Disapproval = surprise + sadness Submission = trust + fear Contempt = disgust + anger

It is worth noting that the 8 derivative emotions above are also opposites of each other. Awe is the opposite of aggressiveness; love, remorse; optimism, disapproval; and submission, contempt.

There are other feelings in the wheel that result from changing the intensity of a basic emotion. Here is the complete list:

Joy (core emotion) serenity (less intense), ecstasy (more intense) Sadness pensiveness, grief Trust acceptance, admiration Disgust boredom, loathing Fear apprehension, terror Anger annoyance, rage Surprise distraction, amazement Anticipation interest, vigilance

HUMAINEs EARL

The Human-Machine Interaction Network on Emotion (HUMAINE) was a European Network of Excellence that aimed to lay the foundations for the development of emotion-oriented systems in the European Union. The project, which included experts/researchers from various fields and with different specializations, gave birth to the computer language EARL Emotion Annotation and Representation Language. There are 48 emotions in EARL, and these are further classified into ten categories, namely, you can read more about types of emotions :

Forceful and negative emotions annoyance, anger, irritation, contempt, and disgust Negative emotions that you cant control most of the time anxiety, fear, embarrassment, powerlessness, helplessness, and worry Negative thoughts guilt, shame, envy, doubt, and frustration Negative and passive despair, sadness, hurt, boredom, and disappointment, Agitation tension, shock and stress Positive and lively delight, excitement, elation, amusement, joy, pleasure and happiness Caring love, affection, friendliness and empathy Positive thoughts hope, trust, courage, satisfaction and pride Quiet positive relaxation, serenity, calmness, contentment and relief Reactive politeness, surprise and interest

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