Find Yourself using Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

Do you remember your favorite episodes from a TV drama or the statistics from the 2018 Olympics ?

Numbers and statistics are fantastic, but human behavior is most impacted by emotions, because emotions appeal strongly than a sense of logic. The reason you can vividly remember scenes from movies or television shows is because it describes an emotionally charged event as opposed to hard facts.

This is why Robert Plutchik created a psycho-evolutionary theory of emotions categorizing over 34,000 emotions into 8 primary emotions on this Wheel of Emotions.


The 8 primary emotions are :

  1. Anger
  2. Fear
  3. Disgust
  4. Trust
  5. Sadness
  6. Joy
  7. Surprise
  8. Anticipation

These emotions intensify as we move from the outside to the center of the wheel. For example, waiting for the traffic light to turn green can be annoying at first, but too long a wait can lead to anger followed by rage. Similarly, the first time you are out on a date with a person you like, you may experience joy and if everything goes happily ever after, your life is simply ecstatic !

Plutchik also proposed the combination of feelings can evolve into different emotions.

  • Joy + Trust = Love
  • Boredom + Sadness = Remorse
  • Joy + Interest = Optimism

This evolution of emotions is how we live each day of our lives, without putting any effort to stop and analyze the stimuli leading up to these emotions. We are connected to everything except ourselves, which is why utilizing this tool is so important for our time.

How can you use the Wheel of Emotions to Find Yourself ?

1.  Visualization Tool

Each time you are faced with an emotional dilemma, the first piece of advise you receive is to piece your thoughts together and analyze how you feel.
Have you ever succeeded in completely defining your feelings ?


This is where the wheel of emotions acts as the perfect tool allowing you to simplify and visualize your emotions. You can simply look at the wheel and pin point to an emotion you are experiencing right now! Go ahead, try it out now.

2.  Identification with Reactions

You’ve been brave enough to pin point how you feel this very moment and this feeling has been the stimuli for you to act in a certain manner. Let’s say you chose one of our favorite emotions in recent times – Boredom.


What has this boredom led to?
Are you just bored or has it combined with anger or sadness ?
Is it beyond your control making you act unexpectedly ?

Look at the wheel again and notice how a combination of these feelings will result in a worse state of affairs. While it may seem simplistic, you can take charge of these mixed emotions once it has been categorized to drive your feelings towards your benefit. Knowing how you feel and what it can lead to can drastically change how you assess the situation and can limit negative reactions.

Your objectification of feelings has led to a clear understanding, thereby allowing you to possess a sense of direction towards acquiring a more positive state of mind.

3.  Opening Closed Doors

Time and again, I have written about the need to express ourselves. The negative impact of having emotions bottled up can lead to severe mental health issues that require drastic measures. Simply by visualizing and identifying your emotions you can open closed doors that demand your attention.

This tool will allow you to simply let it out with the only caveat of taking that first step of initiation towards self improvement and finding yourself. Instead of suppressing, rejecting or ignoring your emotions it will allow you to take charge over them and empower yourself in a constructive way. Allow it to work for you and liberate you in order to achieve your goals.


Expressing yourself is crucial in today’s age where we notice a drop in effective and real communication with each passing day. This post is intended to highlight this very need in hopes of contributing towards the ever growing issues related to emotional health. I hope you spin the wheel of emotions at the fastest speed to find yourself and work towards an Improved and Happy YOU !!

Carpe Diem !

Find Balance with Utopia Life Coaching !


Related Articles :

How to Be Fearless


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