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CORE EMOTIONS
In 1970, the first theory of emotions was presented by Dr. Ekman, Dr. Friesen and Dr. Ellsworth. They identified 6 basic emotions that were experienced across all cultures. These are what we call the "core" emotions:
Happiness
Sadness
Disgust
Surprise
Fear
Anger
The goal is to help describe and explain the human experience on an emotional level. The idea is the core emotions are primitive and essentially hardwired and developed in response to the challenges that our ancestors faced over time.
Properties of Core Emotions
Core emotions have some defining characterstics:
Innate & Universal: All humans are "programmed" to feel the core emotions. They are with in us and experienced, to some extent by all.
Automatic & Fast: We don't consciously "try" to feel them. They just happen.
Valuable: Core emotions are believed to correspond with a distinct neurological circuit that triggers behaviours that have a high survival value. Example: big bad tiger triggers fear which triggers run.
Building Blocks
There are lots of emotions experience and these emotions are experienced on a spectrum. Core emotions are simply considered the building blocks of more "complex" emotions.
Optimism = joy + anticipation
Disapproval = surprise + sadness
Dread = anger + fear.
Lesson Part 1 A: Brainstorming
Materials
Poster Paper or White board to report out and share.
How?
Allow the students a time to talk about the above properties of core emotions. In smaller groups they could talk about a situation where they just "reacted". What was the situation, what emotion was felt, how did you feel about it after?
This can be a sensitive topic so I often share my own story of being angry about something or crying and how I felt. This activity is about modeling.
Lesson Part 1B: Your Core Emotions
Materials
Mood Catcher or Mood Mosaic colouring worksheet
How?
Since emotions are considered a subjective experience they are difficult to define for all of humanity. Your core emotions are the emotions you experience, feel, access and maybe express most often.
Choose either the Mood Catcher or the Mood Mosaic colouring worksheet.
Choose a colour for each emotion and colour in the flags at the bottom.
For 5 days colour in an open section of the dream catcher or mosaic in your chosen emotional colour.
Debrief Questions:
Which colour is dominant?
Which emotion do you feel mainly most of the time?
List your core emotions.
Mood Catcher.pdfMood Mosaic.pdfLesson Part 2: Bucket of Emotions
Material
Your Bucket of Emotions Worksheet
How?
Picture a bucket full of water. It's full right up to the brim so that adding even one more drop of water is going to make it overflow. Now imagine the bucket and the water represents your emotions.
When we walk around full of emotions because we are angry, sad, ashamed or anxious about the past or future, adding just one more emotion, even a small one, can make you overflow emotionally. This overflowing can mean different things for different people or even for the same person at different times.
It is important to be able to identify and recognize your emotional level.
Fill out the worksheet and share with a friend.
Your Bucket of Emotions.pdfLesson Part 3: Emotion Charades
Material
Guess the Emotion Worksheet (without Answers)
Express Yourself Emotion Charades
How?
Review the video from Inside out on expressing emotions.
Get the students to Guess the Emotion Worksheet faces and match emotion to facial expression.
As a class or in smaller groups get the students to act out a possible emotional response to the situations on the Express Yourself Emotion Charades. Get them to act out facial expression and body language.
Brainstorm some other emotion charades and draw them from a hat. These should be student driven situations.
Guess the Emotions with ANS.pdfEmotional Charades.pdfPage updated
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