The Information and Gifts of Emotions

7 Categories of Emotions

While there are hundreds of shades of emotions, we at Learning in Action have identified seven categories of emotions (five distressing and two positive emotions) that provide distinctly unique information.

Within each category of emotion exists a range of emotional intensity, from high intensity to low, all in the same emotional family (e.g. Anger Family of Emotion: High Intensity = Outrage; Low Intensity = Annoyed). Each emotion is placed in the context of relationships: with co-workers, with neighbors, with family, with friends.

For each of the seven key emotional categories, the emotions guide provides:

1. An image of how the emotion shows up on the face.
2. The information the emotion provides us that no other dimension of our experience provides.
3. The gift of the emotion and how our lives and relationships are better because of it.
4. The risk to ourselves and our relationships of under accessing the emotion (when we don’t feel it or don’t feel it much).
5. The risk to ourselves and our relationships of over accessing the emotion (over indulging it, not letting it go, or getting stuck in it).
6. A list of feeling words for each emotion’s family of words.
7. Notes to add a bit of explanation for each of the seven emotions.

Use this tool to help identify and name emotions (particularly those experienced in relationship) and to understand the information and gift of each emotion.  It handily complements our EQ Profile, and it equally stands on its own.

We hope you find this to be a helpful tool for you and your clients.

Click here for the Emotions Guide.