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THE FEELING WHEEL

This tool has been designed by Gloria Willcox (1982) in order to help people in learning to recognize and communicate about their feelings. 

When we have a primary feeling such as anger, we could try to identify more specifically what is the second level of this emotion.

"Why was I angry?" 

You could also find a third level to define more accurately your feeling

This will help to understand this feeling and to realize that emotions are part of us, but we are not our emotions.

 

Laura Markham (Ph. D. Clinical Psychology) suggest that this wheel could be used to assist children in teaching about emotions.

In the everyday life, parents could use opportunities to help the kids describing what they feel in a non-judgment way. For example:

- "I understand that you can feel frustrated when I refuse to give you a candy"

- "You look so happy to go to play soccer, you must be excited!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Willcox, G. (1982). The Feeling Wheel: A tool for expanding awareness of emotions and increasing spontaneity and intimacy. Transactional Analysis Journal, 12(4), 274-276.

TIPS

 

When going through a situation that leads to deep feelings, look at the Feeling Wheel and try to pick up one or several emotions that you have felt. For each one of them, ask yourself: Why did I felt that? What behavior had this feeling led to?

Self-reflection could be difficult. If this exercise is hard for you, you could consult a professionnal psychologist for assistance.

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