Wheel of Emotions online

What is the Wheel of Emotions?

The Wheel of Emotions is a model created by psychologist Robert Plutchik that arranges 8 basic emotions in the shape of a flower: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger and anticipation. Each takes a coloured petal and has three intensities: the strongest in the centre and the mildest towards the edge.

Its great contribution is vocabulary. Feeling annoyance is not the same as anger or rage, nor is pensiveness the same as sadness or grief. Putting the exact name to an emotion is already a way to start managing it.

The 8 basic emotions and their intensities

The combinations: neighbouring emotions

Plutchik proposed that neighbouring emotions on the wheel combine into more complex ones. Some of the best known:

• Joy + trust = love.
• Anticipation + joy = optimism.
• Anger + anticipation = aggressiveness.
• Sadness + disgust = remorse.
• Disgust + anger = contempt.

What it is used for in coaching

• Expanding emotional vocabulary. Moving from “I feel bad” to “I feel apprehension and a bit of annoyance” changes the conversation.
• Distinguishing intensities. It helps see whether to act now or wait for the intensity to drop.
• Connecting with the body. Noticing where each emotion is felt allows you to recognise it sooner.
• Discovering the need. Each emotion points to something that matters: a boundary, a loss, a desire.

What each emotion asks of you

• Fear: to protect yourself and prepare.
• Anger: to set a boundary or change something unfair.
• Sadness: to stop, let go and ask for support.
• Disgust: to move away from what harms you or clashes with your values.
• Surprise: to pause and understand what happened.
• Joy, trust and anticipation: to share, get closer and move towards what you want.

How to use the wheel in session, step by step

1. Choose a specific situation. Ideally something recent and concrete.
2. Name the emotions. Up to three, looking for the exact word on the wheel.
3. Look at the intensity. Is it in the centre or at the edge?
4. Place them in the body. Where are they felt?
5. Ask what they need. What need lies behind them?
6. Define a response. What to do with that need, instead of just reacting.

Powerful questions about emotions

• If you had to give it a more precise name, what would it be?
• Where do you feel it in your body?
• From 1 to 10, how intense is it?
• What is this emotion telling you that you need?
• What would you do differently if you listened to it instead of covering it up?

Common mistakes

• Judging the emotion. There are no good or bad emotions; all of them inform.
• Staying at “good” or “bad”. Without precision, it is hard to know what to do.
• Trying to eliminate it. The goal is to listen and respond, not to suppress it.
• Deciding at peak intensity. It helps to wait until it comes down a step.

Frequently asked questions