The Four Building Blocks of Every Emotion (and Why This is Important)

What Exactly are Emotions?

We know enough about emotions to be able to define them fairly well. We can talk about being ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ because we’ve understood these concepts since we were small.

We all experience emotions daily yet explaining them can be quite a challenge. Emotions are like intricate puzzles, but they’re made up of four fundamental pieces.

In this article, we’ll explore these building blocks to help you better understand your emotions and, more importantly, learn how to manage them effectively. So, let’s dive in.

1. The Stimulus: What Triggers Your Emotions

Every emotion starts with a stimulus, the trigger that sets things in motion.

These triggers can be as diverse as the world around you. It might be a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, a memory, a person, a place, or an activity you’re engaged in. Even something as simple as a baby’s hunger or a caregiver’s touch can evoke emotions.

We need to recognize that emotions often originate from external sources, but they can also be stirred by your thoughts and internal experiences.

2. Your Awareness: Paying Attention to the Trigger

Just having a stimulus isn’t enough to elicit an emotion. Your awareness plays a crucial role in the process.

Sometimes, you consciously notice the stimulus, while at other times, it happens unconsciously.

It’s when you start paying attention to the trigger that it gains significance and begins to affect you differently from everything else around you.

3. The Judgment: Your Inner Evaluation

Now, your inner self steps in to evaluate the situation. Your unconscious mind already knows your preferences, likes, and dislikes, and it swiftly guides you towards a positive or negative emotional response.

This judgment, often made in the blink of an eye, shapes how you feel about the stimulus.

4. The Reaction: Your Physical and Verbal Response

Your body reacts to the stimulus even before you realize it.

For example, imagine a spider suddenly scuttling across your hand. You may not consciously notice it right away, but your widened eyes and a sudden chill running down your spine are physical signs that your body is reacting.

In this case, you might instinctively pull your hand away, possibly accompanied by a startled scream if you’re afraid of spiders.

Why is Understanding This Important?

Now, you might wonder, why is it crucial to break down emotions into these four building blocks?

Here’s why: If you want to change how you feel, you can start by focusing on these building blocks.

While you can’t always control the stimulus or your initial awareness, you have the power to reshape your emotional response through judgment and reaction.

Take the spider example. If you want to overcome your fear of spiders, you can consciously work on your judgment. Tell yourself that spiders aren’t scary and practice not reacting fearfully when you see one. Over time, you’ll find that your fear transforms into disinterest or even curiosity.

Remember, this transformation takes time and effort, but the ability to control your emotions is invaluable.

The key is consistency.

Keep practicing this new emotional response, and soon, it will become second nature to you.

Understanding the four building blocks of emotions empowers you to take charge of how you feel and react to various situations. Embrace this knowledge, and you’ll find yourself better equipped to navigate the complex world of emotions with compassion and confidence.

To read more about Understanding and Working Through Emotions in the Context of Grief, click here.