Emotions are part of human beings and there are positive and negative ones. In general, two groups have been established when classifying them: primary emotions and secondary emotions. The primaries are those that respond to our instincts and are present since we are born. For example, sadness, anger, joy, etc. Secondary emotions arise from the combination of primary emotions and are learned over time depending on the culture and context in which we find ourselves. These are not universal in all people and the way they are expressed may vary.
In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you what the Secondary emotions: what they are, characteristics and examples from the same.
When deciding which emotions could belong to the group of secondary emotions, no consensus has been found. Different proposals have been made. Most models, including Ekmand Plutchik’s, state that the “universal” secondary emotions are the following:
- : it is a feeling of discomfort at not being accepted by others and a fear of being made to look ridiculous. This causes people to transform their way of being, avoid certain situations and do everything possible not to make any mistakes in front of others.
- Blame: It is a feeling of great discomfort. Whoever suffers from it considers that he has made a terrible mistake and feels deserving of some type of punishment. You could say that it is one of the most painful emotions.
- Pride: It is a positive feeling about what one is or what one does. It is an emotion, generally adaptive, that refers to a high degree of satisfaction. However, it is possible that this emotion is felt in excess and ends up producing social isolation for the person.
- Pleasure: It is a very positive emotion and is part of the motivation processes. If something gives pleasure, it motivates us to continue doing it. This emotion can occur in any area. In some cases, it may appear distorted.
- : It is a feeling of possession and struggle not to lose what we consider to be our own. It has its adaptive biological basis. However, it has a high tendency to become maladaptive by having that feeling in situations that do not correspond.
Secondary emotions have various distinctive features. Next, we will see the main characteristics of secondary emotions:
- They are the result of the combination of primary emotions.
- Is about learned emotions: Normally, they begin to appear at 2 or 3 years of age. This occurs because a certain level of consciousness is needed to be able to develop them, that is, they are not automatic or instinctive, as would occur in the case of primaries.
- They are not universal: They are not the same in all cultures, although they have a certain similar basis.
- They are not automatic or instinctive: Contrary to primary emotions, a certain level of awareness is needed to develop secondary emotions. For this reason they are not universal or the same between different cultures.
- At a general level, they have a higher degree of complexity than primary emotions.
- They contribute to the formation of an identity: They are what differentiates us from each other. Therefore, it influences the way we perceive ourselves and our self-esteem.
In this article, you will see.
We have mentioned some of the secondary emotions that most authors include in their classification. Next, we will see some examples of secondary emotions, how they can develop and how we can understand them:
Shame
In the aforementioned case of shame, we may find ourselves faced with a social situation in which we do not yet know anyone. At first, the primary emotion of fear of being rejected by the group arises. This emotion has its origin in our biology and obeys the . According to this instinct, if we belong to a group we have a better chance of surviving.
As a result of this fear, shame appears, making the person shy when it comes to acting or avoiding said situation. In this article, we tell you.
Blame
One of the examples of secondary emotions, specifically guilt, are those situations in which our actions have negative consequences on people we care about. An example of this may be that you have promised your grandmother that you will go to eat with her and in the end you don’t go. If your grandmother later tells you that she is sad because you haven’t gone, that can make you feel guilty for her sadness. Discover .
Pride
Pride can arise in different ways. An example is through joy when you get a new job or when you finish your university degree. That joy for oneself transforms into pride.
However, a combination of , and can result in another type of pride. For example, when we do not want to agree with another and admit that we were wrong. The anger at not being right, together with the sadness of said situation, plus the fear that our conception of ourselves will diminish, transforms into pride.
Pleasure
We continue with more examples of secondary emotions. Pleasure is an emotion that can be experienced in many areas. There are countless situations in which we can feel pleasure. For example, you can feel pleasure from enjoying a delicious meal, from spending the afternoon with some friends, from getting good grades, or from falling in love with someone.
Jealousy
Jealousy is the fear of losing what we consider our own. Some examples of jealousy could be when your best friend goes out with other people and no longer spends as much time with you. In this article, we tell you.