Robert Plutchik's PSYCHOEVOLUTIONARY THEORY OF BASIC EMOTIONS

Postulates 1 ANIMALS AND HUMANS The concept of emotion is applicable to all evolutionary Basic Emotions, Similarity, Intensity levels and applies to all animals as well as humans. 2 EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY Emotions have an evolutionary history and have evolved various forms of expression in different species.

3 SURVIVAL ISSUES acceptance Emotions serve an adaptive role in helping organisms deal with key survival issues posed by the environment. delight tolerance timidity serenity PROTOTYPE PATTERNS trust apprehension 4 cheerfulness Dispite different forms of expression of emotions in different species, there are certain common elements, or prototype patterns, that can be identified. joyjoy fear admiration fright dismay 5 BASIC EMOTIONS elation panic There is a small number of basic, primary or prototype terror emotions. attentiveness extasy uncertainty 6 COMBINATIONS expectancy amazement All other emotions are mixed or derivative states; that is, vigilance surprise they occur as combinations, mixtures, or compounds of anticipation astonishment the primary emotions. curiosity distraction HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCTS 7 interest fury grief Primary emotions are hypothetical constructs or idealized states whose properties and characteristics can only be rage inferred from various kinds of evidence. loathing sorrow anger 8 OPPOSITES revulsion sadness Primary emotions can be conceptualized in terms of hostility dejection polar opposites. disgust gloominess 9 SIMILARITY annoyance pensiveness All emotions vary in their degree of similarity to one another. aversion 10 INTENSITY dislike Each emotion can exist in varying degrees of boredom intensity or levels of arousal.

Combinations & Opposites Survival Issues „A mixture of any two primary emotions may be called a dyad.“ „Organisms at all evolutionary levels face certain common functional survival problems .“

[often felt][sometimes felt] [seldom felt] STIMULUS COGNITE SUBJECTIVE BEHAVIORAL PRIMARY DYADS SECONDARY DYADS TERTIARY DYADS OPPOSITES EVENT APPRAISAL REACTION REACTION FUNCTION

joy trust joy fear joy surprise joy sadness gain of valued object „possess“ joy retain or repeat gain resources love guilt delight conflict

trust fear trust surprise trust sadness trust disgust member of one‘s group „friend“ trust groom mutual support submission curiosity sentimentality conflict

fear surprise fear sadness fear disgust fear anger threat „danger“ fear escape safety alarm despair shame conflict

surprise sadness surprise disgust surprise anger surprise anticipation unexpected event „what is it?“ surprise stop gain time to orient disappointment ? outrage conflict

sadness disgust sadness anger sadness anticipation loss of valued object „abandonment“ sadness cry reattach to lost object remorse envy pessimism

disgust anger disgust anticipation disgust joy unpalatable object „poison“ disgust vomit eject poison contempt cynism morbidness

anger anticipation anger joy anger trust obstacle „enemy“ anger attack destroy obstacle aggression pride dominance

anticipation joy anticipation trust anticipation fear new territory „examine“ anticipation map knowledge of territory optimism fatalism anxiety

Scientific Basis

Theories of Emotions: • Psychoanalytic Theories Paul Ekman J. A. R. A. M. van Hooff Sandor Rado John Bowlby • Brain Function Theories Paul D. MacLean Karl H. Pribram Charles Brenner H. R. Conte Stanley S. Schachter Magda B. Arnold M. Sherman José M. R. Delgado George Mandler Richard S. Lazarus J. W. Papez • Current Cognitive and Evolutionary Theories Joseph De Rivera Manfred Clynes Robert Leeper Sylvan S. Tomkins Carrol E. Izard J. R. Millenson Harold Schlosberg Marion A. Wenger Paul T. Young • Early Behavioristic and Arousal Theories John B. Watson Edward C. Tolman Burrhus F. Skinner Major Traditions in the Study of Emotions Charles Darwin William James Walter B. Cannon Siegmund Freud

Based on the Book „EMOTION: A Psychoevolutionary Synthesis“ by Robert Plutchik; Harper & Row, Publishers (1980) Visualization by Markus Drews, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany, February 2007 Supervised by Prof. Matthias Krohn