DICTIONARY OF EMOTIONS
PROPOSITION:- Fuzziness in words helps keep us off-track on emotions.
For example, FEAR, SADNESS, ANGER, and HAPPINESS are not just pure EMOTIONS, but also they are used to refer to categories of EMOTION.
- Revising our definitions helps get us on track with our emotions.
- Every EMOTION, FEELING or SENSATION can be defined in relationship to the Alphabet of Emotion (the 22 Primary Emotions)..
This leads to a....
Dictionary of Emotions
ALL CAPS = A PRIMARY EMOTION
* = See elsewhere in Dictionary for definition.
NOTE: This dictionary is very much a work in progress.
Any and all questions and comments from readers are welcome.
| Emotion or (Feeling) or (Sensation). | Relationship to the 22 primary emotions, or four pure emotions. | SENSATION or location of sensation. | Tells us... |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGGRESSIVENESS | A primary emotion; pure ANGER dominating pure FEAR. | Pushing, advancing; . | Move ahead. |
| Aloofness | AVOIDANCE, INDIFFERENCE. | Numb pulling away. | Detach. |
| (Ambivalence) | Part of COURAGE. | Shoulder, neck and jaw push-pull. | Internally process pro’s and con’s of avoidance versus aggressiveness. |
| Pure ANGER (1) | A primary emotion; one of the four pure emotions. | Stationary tightening; strength. | Some form of re-directing action is needed. |
| Anger (2) | Any emotion in which the emotion of pure ANGER is dominant. | Any feeling in which tightening or strength is the dominant sensation; often felt as pressure. | Re-directing action is needed: the particular anger tells the particular action. |
| Annoyance | AGGRESSIVENESS, SELFISHNESS. | Pushy, grabby tension | Move in and hold onto situation. |
| Anxiety | EXICTEMENT, VIGILANCE, AVOIDANCE, PESSIMISM. | High lightness agitation, also pulling away, heaviness. | Deal with a situation with both good and bad possibilities. |
| Apathy | INDIFFERENCE, HELPLESSNESS. | Numb contraction. | Tune out situation. |
| Apprehension | VIGILANCE, AVOIDANCE. | Tingling pulling away. | Watch out for danger. |
| Arrogance | Pride*, IMPATIENCE, SELFISHNESS. | Barely smiling with lift of chin, pressured and grasping. | Accomplished, superior, disregard for opposition. |
| Ashamed | SURPRISE, AVOIDANCE, PAIN, HELPLESSNESS, PESSIMISM. | Hunching, hiding, breaking, contracting, resisting. | Have broken a rule and don’t know enough to follow it. |
| (Assertiveness) | Intuition; soul level in feeling (1)* in AGGRESSIVNESS | Pushing forward of jaw. | Process internal issues on moving forward. |
| AVOIDANCE | A primary emotion; pure FEAR dominating pure ANGER. | Pulling back; vibration dominating strength. | Retreat from situation. |
| Bliss | Pure HAPPINESS, OPTIMISM, JOY. | ||
| (Body) (1) | Source of drives*. | Peripheral nervous system (arms and legs, feet and hands); also meridians through little fingers and little toes. | Respond internally to rate energy available for basic action. |
| Body (2) | Source of drives*, passions*, intuitions*, perceptions* and expectation*. | Complete matter of a living being. | Respond internally and externally, head to toe. |
| Boredom | Fatigue*, AVOIDANCE. | Partially numb breaking and pulling way. | Tune out on situation. |
| Carelessness | INDIFFERENCE, IMPATIENCE, UNSELFISHNESS. | Numb striking out and letting go. | Inattentively strike away interference and let things go. |
| Chaos | Intense PURE FEAR. | Intense shaking, head to toe. | Stop thinking. Nothing makes sense. |
| Coldness | INDIFFERENCE, AVOIDANCE, pure ANGER. | Numb pulling back with added strength. | Stay strongly detached. |
| COMPASSION | A primary emotion; a virtue; balance of UNSELFISHNESS and SELFISHNESS; balance between pure ANGER and pure HAPPINESS. | Win-win manipulation; balance between grabbing and releasing. | Safely help out to mutual good. |
| Condescension | Pride*, disdain*, SELFISHNESS. | Moderate smile, lifted chin, moderate pressure, mental sense of ‘not me’, grasping. | Accomplished, superior, rejecting. |
| Confidence | COURAGE, JOY. | Touching, jumping. | In contact, free of encumbrance, energized. |
| (Confusion) | A feeling (1)*; the mind-spirit part of pure FEAR | Shakiness in temples and forehead; may be felt as pressure | Internally dislodge perceptions and expectations. |
| Contempt | Irrational hate*, disdain*. | Contracted, nauseous with extra expulsive action in upper lip and lower nose area. | Extra, misguided expulsion in hated situation. |
| Controlling | AGGRESSIVENESS, SELFISHNESS, VIGILANCE. | Tingling pushing forward and holding on. | Advancing and grabbing on in forcefully continued attentiveness. |
| COURAGE | A primary emotion; a virtue; balance of AVOIDANCE and AGGRESSIVENESS; balance between pure FEAR and pure ANGER. | Touch; balance of pushing toward and pulling away from . | You’re in balanced contact with situation. |
| Depression (agitated) | Simple depression*, hostility*. | Explosiveness within swamped feeling. | Depressing situation ready for constructive action; handle anger and simple depression components separately. |
| Depression (simple) | SADNESS, PAIN, INDIFFERENCE, PESSIMISM, HELPLESSNESS. | Quiet, breaking, numb, sluggish, swamped. | Stop, draw in more information, limp, slowed, pulled inward. |
| Despair | Simple depression*, panic*. | Hotly swamped. | Depressing situation agitating for mobilization; separate depression from fear. |
| Desperation | Despair*, AVOIDANCE, pure FEAR, IMPATIENCE, AGGRESSIVENESS. | Breaking, swamped startled struggling. | Depressing situation needing immediate action even though reactions not sufficiently sorted. |
| Dignity | COURAGE, HUMILITY, COMPASSION. | Touching, absorbing manipulation win-win. | Continue best behavior toward situation with emphasis on balancing expectation of good versus bad process. |
| (Disappointment) | Intuition; soul level feeling (1)* in PESSIMISM. | Pouting very briefly. | Didn’t connect with something you were going toward. |
| (Disdain) | Soul-Mind level feeling (1)* in irrational hate*. | Curling of upper lip up to nose. | Something is ‘not you’. |
| (Dread) | Heart-Soul feeling (1)* in AVOIDANCE | Pulling back in shoulder and neck. | Process internal holding back on addressing issues of importance and timing. |
| (Drive) | Feeling (1)* of Body (1)*; 50% of emotion. | Felt in arms, legs, hands, feet (corresponding to peripheral nervous system); also felt in meridians through little fingers to little toes. | Effort immediately available for survival actions. |
| Embarrassment | SURPRISE, AVOIDANCE, VIGILANCE, OPTIMISM. | Startled, sustained tremor and tingle, grinning and pulling back yet stretching forward. | You broke or are breaking a rule, you know it, and you care and can handle it. |
| Emotion | Head-to-toe feeling with both physical and psycho-social meaning; drive* + passion* + intuition* + perception* + expectation*. | Felt by entire nervous system; felt through entire Body (2). | Call to action; forms memory. |
| Envy | PAIN, lust, AVOIDANCE. | Breaking, gut-grabbing, and pulling away from. | Something important, not activated toward getting it. |
| Euphoria | OPTIMISM, UNSELFISHNESS, pure HAPPINESS, JOY. | Expansive without pressure. | Extend and expand going with the flow. |
| EXCITEMENT | A primary emotion*; pure HAPPINESS dominating pure FEAR. | Wiggling; lightness dominating vibration. | Readiness for successful action, in intended direction. |
| Exhaustion | Intense FATIGUE | Intense breaking and numbness. | Stop caring immediately; turn over entirely to unconscious processing. |
| (Expectation) | Feeling (1)* from Spirit*; 3% of emotion*. | Cerebrum above brow ridge (upper head above brow ridge); also meridian through thumbs to big toes). | Plan for outcome. |
| Fatalism | PESSIMISM, UNSELFISHNESS, INDIFFERENCE. | Letting go, moving forward while resistant. | Go along with undesired outcome. |
| Fatigue | INDIFFERENCE, PAIN | Breaking limpness/numbness. | Seek information unconsciously, stop caring consciously. |
| Pure FEAR (1) | A primary emotion*; one of the four pure emotions. | Vibration. | Energize on anything relevant in the situation; go in no direction yet. |
| Fear (2) | Any emotion* in which the emotion of pure FEAR is dominant. | Any feeling in which the sensation of vibration is dominant. | Energize, and react in direction dictated by form of emotion. |
| (Feeling) (1) | The largest category of emotional experience. | The psychological meaning of physical sensation. | We are experiencing something. |
| (Feeling) (2) | The largest category of experience; the “sixth” sense which is actually the first sense, evolutionarily. | Both the physical and the psychological meaning of sensations. | We are experiencing something. |
| Fright | SURPRISE, AVOIDANCE, VIGILANCE, pure FEAR. | Startle, retreat, heated, poised to react further. | Energize to prepare for possibly dangerous new project/situation. |
| Grace | HUMILITY, JOY, COMPASSION, COURAGE, PATIENCE. | Jump, in slow, touching, waiting motion, into breaking feeling with win-win balance. | Stay on course, in tune with project, in balance. |
| Grief | PAIN, HELPLESSNESS, VIGILANCE, JOY, pure SADNESS | Breaking jump, contracting, poised and still. | Experience the loss and the memory of the value before loss. |
| HAPPINESS (1) | A primary emotion*; one of the four pure emotions. | Lightness. | Go the same direction. |
| Happiness (2) | Any emotion in which the emotion of pure HAPPINESS is dominant. | Any feeling in which the sensation of lightness is dominant. | Go in generally the same direction, with modifications made according to the other emotions in the mixture. |
| Rational Hate | Disorganized blend of all 22 primary emotions. | Nausea; sensation of wanting to expel through mouth. | Get rid of something toxic in the situation. |
| (Heart) (1) | Source of passions*. | Spinal cord; also meridians from ring fingers to fourth toes. | Assess importance to quality of life. |
| heart (2) | Blood pump of body. | Energy center for vibration in the trunk (spinal cord). | Control energy dispensed to body. |
| HELPLESSNESS | A primary emotion*; pure SADNESS dominating pure ANGER. | Contraction; slumping; stillness dominating tension. | Pull inward, away from dealing with situation. |
| (hesitance) | Intuition*; Soul* level feeling (1)* in AVOIDANCE. | Pulling back through neck. | Pull back on inner timing. |
| Hostility | AGGRESSIVENESS, IMPATIENCE, SELFISHNESS, pure ANGER. | Pushing, flailing, grabbing strength. | Attack situation. |
| Hypervigilance | NERVOUSNESS*, VIGILANCE. | Lively, alert, wiggly dodging with extra tingle. | Watch out intensely and dodge, despite “ready, set” aspects of current situation. |
| HUMILITY | A primary emotion*; a virtue; balance of OPTIMISM and PESSIMISM; balance between pure HAPPINESS and pure SADNESS. | Swallowing, incorporating; balance of stillness and lightness. | Immersed in situation, in now; not tug toward present or past. |
| IMPATIENCE | A primary emotion*; pure ANGER dominating pure SADNESS. | Flailing, striking out of the way; tension dominating stillness. | Clear the way |
| INDIFFERENCE | A primary emotion*; pure SADNESS dominating pure FEAR. | Numbness; limpness; stillness dominating vibration. | Stop caring. |
| Insecurity | VIGILANCE, PURE FEAR, AVOIDANCE | Tingling, shaky feeling of dodging or retreat. | Constantly take evasive action. |
| Integrity | COURAGE, COMPASSION. | Balanced touch with win-win-manipulation. | Conduct activity balancing interests of you and other(s). |
| Intimidated | AVOIDANCE, VIGILANCE, HELPLESSNESS. | Dodging, wary contraction. | Full retreat outwardly and inwardly, but stay alert. |
| (Intuition) | Feeling of the Soul*; 10% of emotion*. | Sensation in neck and jaw (brain stem and upper spinal cord); also meridians from middle fingers to middle toes. | Sort through information between Body and Herat versus Mind and Spirit. |
| Irritability | AGGRESSIVENESS, IMPATIENCE. | Pushing flailing. | Advance, moving something out of the way. |
| Jealousy | Lust*, PAIN, hostility*, JOY. | Breaking, pushing, flailing, grabbing tension with extra grab sensation in trunk (Heart) and strong jump of completion. | Take immediate, strong action to find the important part that is missing. |
| JOY | A primary emotion*; a virtue, balance of EXCITEMENT and SURPRISE; balance between pure HAPPINESS and pure FEAR. | Jump; upward lift with sensation of staying up. | Something is good/great for us. |
| Laziness | Fatigue*, AVOIDANCE, UNSELFISHNESS. | Breaking, limp pulling back and letting go. | Don’t put much effort in. |
| (lust) | Passion*; Heart level feeling (1)* in SELFISHNESS. | Grabbing or holding feeling in gut and/or trunk. | Hold on internally to issue that is important to quality of life. |
| Magnanimousness | UNSELFISHNESS, OPTIMISM, PURE HAPPINESS | Stretching, releasing, flowing. | No hold whatsoever, only giving and letting go. |
| Martydom | Fatalism*, bliss*, AGGRESSIVENESS. | Sustained lift and glide letting go with limp, contracted, resistant sensation, pushing forward. | Undesired outcome is great. |
| (Mind) (1) | Source of perceptions. | Cerebellum and lowest parts of temporal lobes and occipital lobes; also, meridians through index fingers and second toes. | Organize sensory input. |
| mind (2) | Source of expectations and perceptions. | Cerebellum and cerebrum. | Organize sensory input and output. |
| Nervousness | SURPRISE, AVOIDANCE, EXCITEMENT, VIGILANCE. | Startling, pulling back, staying alert while wiggling in readiness. | Set to deal, but extra problem-solving energy needed. |
| OPTIMISM | A primary emotion*; pure HAPPINESS dominating pure SADNESS. | Tasting, stretching into through inertia (‘object in motion tends to remain in motion), not through effort. | Stay oriented toward good outcome. |
| Outrage | Hostility*, euphoria*. | Pressured expansive. | Take immediate action to change the situation or issue in the direction you feel. |
| Overexcitement | EXCITEMENT, OPTIMISM, AGGRESSIVENESS, SELFISHNESS. | Wiggling, tasting stretching pushing forward grasping pressure. | Getting ahead of situation. |
| Overwhelmed | Intense PURE FEAR, PESSIMISM. | Intense vibration, resistance. | Energy high without direction. |
| PAIN | A primary emotion*; a virtue*; balance of VIGILANCE and INDIFFERENCE; balance between pure FEAR and pure SADNESS. | Breaking, yawning, opening emptiness that feels like a vacuum. | Summons or draws in information. |
| Panic | Fright*, aggressiveness*, irritability*, pain*. | Dodging, tuned in, startled vibration
with pushing and flailing, in reaction at least partly to
a breaking sensation. |
Energize and seek immediate action to reduce an at least partially unknown danger. |
| PATIENCE | A primary emotion*; a virtue*; balance of HELPLESSNESS and IMPATIENCE; balance between pure SADNESS and pure ANGER. | Waiting; balance between flailing and contracting; stillness and tension in balance. | Stay engaged in action at slowed pace. |
| Paranoia | Fright*, confusion*, pure SADNESS, hostility*. | Hot, mentally jumbled, pressured and physically slowed but moderately explosive in feeling. | Watch out for serious harm from unpredictable sources. |
| (Passion) | Feeling (1)*of Heart (1)*; 30% of emotion*. | Felt in trunk (corresponding to spinal cord and spinal nerves); also felt in meridians through ring fingers and fourth toes. | Rates importance to you of an issue/situation. |
| Passivity | INDIFFERENCE, PESSIMISM. | Numb resistance. | Don’t care to move. |
| (Perception) | Feeling (1)* of Mind (1)*; 7% of emotion*. | Felt in segment of head from under nose to brow ridge (corresponding to cerebellum, and lower parts of temporal and occipital lobes of cerebrum); also felt in meridians through index fingers and second toes. | Organizes experience. |
| PESSIMISM | A primary emotion*; pure SADNESS dominating pure HAPPINESS. | Pouting, slouched; resistant through inertia (“object at rest tends to remain at rest), not through effort; stillness dominating lightness. | Stay back; expect a bad outcome. |
| Pride | Pure HAPPINESS, OPTIMISM, AGGRESSIVENESS. | Smiling close-mouthed lift of chin. | Superior in some way. |
| (Pushiness) | A passion*; part of AGGRESSIVENESS. | Pushing forward sensation in sternum and from between shoulder blades. | Pushing forward on processing something important. |
| Rebelliousness | AVOIDANCE, hostility*, OPTIMISM, JOY. | Pressured, driven dodging jump. | Moderately explosive righteousness and strong drive to do something about it. |
| (Reluctance) | A passion*; part of AVOIDANCE. | Pulling back between shoulder blades. | Pulling back on processing something important. |
| (Resentment) | The passion*, intuition* and expectation* part of outrage*. | Pressured and expansive, but without mental organization. | Seek to organize situation/issue better in your mind; high importance for reaching action level. |
| Respect | COURAGE, PATIENCE, COMPASSION. | Balanced contact with slowly active participation. | Continue best behavior toward situation, with emphasis on moving slowly enough. |
| SADNESS (1) | A primary emotion*; one of the four pure emotions. | Stillness. | Digest information. |
| Sadness (2) | Any emotion* in which the emotion of pure SADNESS is dominant. | Any sensation in which the sensation of stillness in dominant. | Digest information with added action as dictated by other emotions in mixture. |
| Scared | Fright*, PAIN. | Startle, retreat, heated up and poised to react further, with breaking sensation. | Energize to prepare for painful project/situation. |
| Security | COURAGE, PATIENCE. | Touching, waiting. | Perfectly okay with just now. |
| SELFISHNESS | A primary emotion; pure ANGER dominating pure HAPPINESS. | Grab, grasp, hold; tension dominating lightness. | Keep something. |
| Self-sacrifice | OPTIMISM, AGGRESSIVENESS, fatalism*. | Stretching and pushing into, resistant letting go, moving forward. | Something good will come of going along with something bad. |
| (Sensations) | The physical aspect of feelings and emotions. | Felt anywhere in the body (2). | The physical and emotional aspects of your reaction are making bid for your conscious attention. |
| Shame | SURPRISE, AVOIDANCE, VIGILANCE, HELPLESSNESS, PESSIMISM. | Startled hunching contracting, pulling back, breaking. | You have broken a rule. |
| Soul | Source of intuition*. | Brain stem; also meridians from middle fingers to middle toes. | Balances input from Body and Heart with input from Mind and Spirit. |
| Spirit | Source of expectation*. | Cerebrum above horizontal plane through top of brow ridge; meridians from thumbs to big toes. | Plans reactions. |
| SURPRISE | A primary emotion*; pure FEAR dominating pure HAPPINESS. | Startle; vibration dominating lightness. | Re-orient in situation that is still ‘systems go’. |
| Stubbornness. | AVOIDANCE, PESSIMISM, SELFISHNESS, IMPATIENCE. | Pulling back, digging in, flailing opposition out of the way. | Exert yourself against proceeding. |
| Terror | SURPRISE, VIGILANCE, pure FEAR, PAIN, intense pure ANGER. | Startled, hotly frozen orienting to unknown danger. | Intense danger: freeze! |
| UNSELFISHNESS | A primary emotion*; pure HAPPINESS dominating pure ANGER. | Release, let go; lightness dominating tension. | No need to keep. |
| VIGILANCE | A primary emotion*; pure FEAR dominating pure SADNESS. | Tingling; vibration dominating stillness. | Stay alert to all possibilities for problems. |
| Weakness | HELPLESSNESS, PESSIMISM | Contracting, resistant. | Can’t move. |
| Whining | PAIN, HELPLESSNESS, PESSIMISM, IMPATIENCE, SELFISHNESS. | Breaking contracting with resistance, flailing grabbing. | Need information, struggling to get it. |
| Wisdom | PATIENCE, HUMILITY, COMPASSION. | Waiting, absorbing, win-win manipulation. | Perfectly in touch with perfect manipulation of the moment. |
| Worry | VIGILANCE, AVOIDANCE, PESSIMISM, AGGRESSIVENESS, SELFISHNESS. | Tingling backing off, resistant, pushing and grabbing in another direction. | 1. Active monitoring (e.g. toward
toddler by adult. 2. Suspended monitoring (as of love one at a distance, or upcoming situation). |