Recognizing and Understanding Emotions: What the Patriarchy Failed to Teach Everyone
- Jena Beck
- Sep 22, 2023
- 3 min read
Welcome back, lovelies.
If our last chat on how the patriarchy fails everyone's emotional well-being resonated with you, you're in the right place. Today, let's explore what the patriarchal system too often neglects: the convoluted world of human emotions. Did you know that we can feel over 34,000 unique emotions? Yeah, let that sink in for a moment.
Benefits of Understanding Emotions
Recognizing and understanding our emotions is not just a touchy-feely process, but a critical aspect of human health. The importance of emotional self-awareness becomes even more pronounced when you realize how closely our emotional and physical well-being are entangled. Holding onto unprocessed emotions like anger, rage, and fear can actually disrupt your nervous system and serve as a gateway to various ailments and diseases. Don't take my word for it; a comprehensive study published in 2021 explicitly links emotion regulation with physical health outcomes1. When you can't identify what you're feeling, you're not just emotionally disadvantaged; you're risking your physical well-being. Learning to read your own emotional map isn't just self-help fluff; it's a form of self-preservation.
Emotion Count and Psychologists' Views
Psychologist Robert Plutchik wasn't merely pontificating when he ventured to quantify human emotions. His seminal work is more than just a flashy number; it's a robust attempt to map the emotional terrain that we navigate every day2. He developed a model—the Wheel of Emotions—that dissects emotional experiences into eight basic or primary emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, anticipation, anger, and disgust. His goal? To help us navigate that inner world more proficiently. Let's be real, our society, marinated in patriarchal norms, hasn't exactly been a beacon of emotional literacy.
The Wheel of Emotions: Your Emotional Google Maps
Developed by Robert Plutchik, the Wheel of Emotions isn't some whimsical doodle; it's a comprehensive framework designed to categorize and understand the human emotional experience2. This iconic diagram identifies eight core emotions that serve as the foundation for all other emotional experiences. But let's not pretend this wheel was reinventing any wheels—Plutchik's genius was in systemizing what we inherently knew, yet struggled to articulate, especially in a world steeped in the patriarchy where feelings have often been shoved into emotional cupboards.
The wheel doesn't just stop at the core emotions of joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, anticipation, anger, and disgust. Plutchik was a detail-oriented guy, you see. He also introduced the concept of 'dyads'—pairs of primary emotions that oppose each other, such as joy and sadness, or trust and disgust. These dyads offer a framework to better understand how complex emotions can arise from simple, basic ones. A vivid example of this is 'optimism,' which is a combination of anticipation and joy.
What sets Plutchik's model apart is its focus on the intensity and subtlety of emotions. The wheel is structured in a way that the more intense an emotion, the closer it is to the wheel's center. Ever felt the intense burn of rage as opposed to just being 'kind of angry'? That's your emotional nuance, and Plutchik's wheel can help you make that distinction.
And if you've ever been dumbfounded, unsure about what you're feeling, this wheel can serve as a literal roadmap. You can start at the core emotion you identify the most with and then journey outward to the more specific, nuanced feelings that best describe your state. Knowing what you're feeling in high-def allows you to manage it proactively, rather than reactively exploding like a patriarchal pressure cooker set on emotional neglect.
A Final Note
When we understand WHY we react, we gain valuable insights into our thoughts, beliefs, and past experiences that contribute to our emotional experiences. It's like undoing the emotional knots the patriarchal system taught you to tie around your own well-being. This self-awareness empowers us to make conscious choices in how we respond. We can consciously choose to respond more constructively and beneficially, rather than being driven solely by our initial emotional reaction.
In this process of self-reflection and understanding, we can engage in practices such as journaling, meditation, or talking with a trusted friend or therapist. These practices help us explore the underlying reasons behind our emotional responses and provide an opportunity for personal growth and healing. By integrating these strategies into our lives, we can develop greater emotional intelligence and cultivate a more intentional and empowered approach to our emotions.
Remember, self-reflection and self-discovery are transformative processes that can lead to a more fulfilling and authentic life. Best of luck on your continued exploration, and may you find profound insights along the way.
Until Next Time,
Jena
Your holistic guide for better mental health
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