Emotions can be classified following a two-dimensional space along which all of them would be located. From the study of the emotion of humor and from models based on biological activation, the existence of two different and partially independent systems is suggested that correspond to the so-called positive and negative emotions.
Gilboa and Revelle carried out an investigation to test, among others, the hypothesis that the independence of positive and negative emotions could be demonstrated not only in the structure, but also in the temporal pattern of emotional responses. The duration of emotions associated with negative events was longer than that associated with positive events. These results are consistent with what was proposed by Frujda in the law of hedonic asymmetry, which suggests that pleasure is always contingent on change and that it disappears with continuous satisfaction, while pain can persist over time if adverse conditions persist. In this way, we would have, on the one hand, a dimension formed by the negative emotions which are unpleasant emotions, which are experienced when a goal is blocked, a threat occurs or a loss occurs; They require the mobilization of important cognitive and behavioral resources, for the creation and elaboration of plans that resolve or alleviate the situation.
Instead, the positive emotions They are pleasant emotions, which are experienced when a goal is achieved; in such a way that in them it is less likely that the revision of plans and other cognitive operations is needed, for this reason it could be expected that negative emotions will last longer over time than positive ones. Negative emotions have a clear value in survival and adaptation to the environment, while in the case of positive emotions this is not at least as evident.
A third category would be neutral emotions that they are neither pleasant nor unpleasant, that is, neither positive nor negative; but they share characteristics of both, thus they are similar to the positive ones in their short duration and the negative ones in the great mobilization of resources they produce.
Tomkins has distinguished nine innate emotions:
- Positive: Interest – Joy – Surprise
- Negative Anguish – Fear – Shame – Contempt – Anger – Rage
Plutchik has proposed a three-dimensional classification of emotions in which the eight basic emotional dimensions appear represented as orange segments in a cross section. The vertical dimension represents the intensity of emotions, which ranges from maximum intensity (top) to the sleep state at the bottom.
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