List of physical feelings


List of Emotions: 271 Emotion Words (+ PDF)

List of Emotions: 271 Emotion Words (+ PDF)

By Tchiki Davis, MA, PhD

What are emotions? What are the theories behind emotions? And how do you describe different emotions? Learn all about emotions here and get lists of emotions for adults or kids.

*This page may include affiliate links; that means I earn from qualifying purchases of products.

Emotions are an important part of the human experience. We feel a variety of different things, and being able to put a label on those feelings is helpful for increasing self-awareness and self-understanding. So how do we gain understanding of our emotions? Well, a list of emotions may help us think through how we experience each one.

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List of Emotions (According to the Discrete Emotion Theory)

There are a few theories of emotion that help organize different emotions and help us understand how they relate to each other. The most well-known of these theories is the discrete (or basic) theory of emotion. This was the theory used in the movie Inside Out. The basic premise is that emotions are separate, discrete things and that they are basic because they originate from having to deal with fundamental life tasks like running away from a predator (Ekman, 1999).

The list of emotions from this theory include:

  • Enjoyment
  • Sadness
  • Fear
  • Anger
  • ​Disgust

Just because these emotions are basic and discrete does not mean they can't vary in intensity. For example, each basic emotion may include a variety of emotional experiences. We'll describe these a bit more below.

List of Emotions and Definitions

Enjoyment
Enjoyment is thought to be the only basic positive emotion. It may include other positive emotional experiences such as:

  • pleasure
  • joy
  • happiness
  • amusement
  • pride
  • awe
  • excitement
  • ecstasy

Sadness
Sadness is a low-activation (low-energy) negative emotion that we often feel in response to things like rejection or loss. A list of sadness related emotions include:

  • lonely
  • unhappy
  • hopeless
  • gloomy
  • miserable

Fear
Fear is a high-activation, avoidance-motivated negative emotion that we tend to feel in response to threats. Here's a fear-related emotion list:

  • worried
  • nervous
  • anxious
  • scared
  • panicked 
  • stressed

Anger
Like fear, anger is a high-activation negative emotion. But unlike fear, it is an approach-motivated emotion. When we feel anger we want to approach the object of our anger rather than run away from it. Here is a list of anger-related emotions:

  • annoyed
  • frustrated
  • bitter
  • infuriated
  • mad
  • insulted
  • vengeful

Disgust
Disgust is an avoidance-motivated emotion. There is something that we don't want to be around or experience, and we desire to move away. Here are some disgust-related words:

  • ​dislike
  • revulsion
  • nauseated
  • aversion
  • offended
  • horrified

List of Emotions (According to the Circumplex Emotion Theory)

Although the basic theory of emotion makes some sense, others have argued that emotions are not discrete things. They don't have specific locations in the brain, they almost always co-occur with each other, and there are many blends of emotions. Reasons like these led psychologists to develop the Emotion Circumplex Model (Russell, 1980).

This model suggests that emotions can be mapped in a circle. These are two axes: one axis is from high to low energy; the other axis is from high to low pleasure. Early researchers believed any emotion could be mapped on this circle. However, more recent research has suggested that there may be more than two dimensions required to understand and map emotions. For example, one study suggested that mapping emotions on how controllable and useful they are is helpful. Plus, this adds two additional dimensions (Trnka et al., 2016). Basically, the only thing we really know for certain about emotions is that they are complex.

Here is a list of emotions from the Emotion Circumplex Model:

High-energy positive emotions:

  • excited
  • delighted
  • astonished

Low-energy positive emotions:

  • pleased
  • content
  • relaxed
  • calm

High-energy negative emotions:

  • angry
  • afraid
  • alarmed

Low-energy negative emotions:

  • depressed
  • bored
  • tired

List of Emotions (From Plutnik's Wheel of Emotions)

Another well-known model of emotions is Plutnik's wheel. This wheel suggests that there are primary, secondary, and tertiary emotions. Each of the emotions in the wheel can be combined to create new emotions. Here is a list of emotions from Plutnik's model:

Ecstacy

  • joy
  • serenity

Admiration

  • trust
  • acceptance

Terror

  • fear
  • apprehension

Amazement

  • surprise
  • distraction

Grief

  • sadness
  • pensiveness

Loathing

  • disgust
  • boredom

Rage

  • anger
  • annoyance

Vigilance

  • ​anticipation
  • interest

List of Positive Emotions

Positive emotions are pleasant or desirable states. When we think of positive emotions, we often think of happiness. But positive emotions include so much more than that. They range from high-energy emotions like excitement to low-energy positive emotions like calmness. The extent to which we find these emotional states pleasurable depends on us. Some of us prefer excitement to calmness and some of us prefer the opposite. And some have suggested that there are genetic underpinnings to these preferences (e.g., the COMT gene).

Here is a list of some of the most common positive emotions:

  • happiness
  • excitement
  • calmness
  • contentment
  • love
  • pride
  • acceptance

List of Negative Emotions

Negative emotions are unpleasant or undesirable states. But, just because they are unpleasurable doesn't mean they are unhelpful. Negative emotions help us do important things in our lives. For example, fear helps us escape from a tiger, anger helps us stand up for our own needs, and sadness helps us take a step back or seek social support. We need negative emotions just as much as we need positive emotions. When it comes to our well-being, we just need to learn how to regulate emotions in effective ways.

Here is a list of some of the most common negative emotions:

  • anger
  • sadness
  • fear
  • guilt
  • shame
  • regret
  • grief
  • embarrassment
  • hatred
  • ​jealousy

Complete List of Emotions

There are a variety of other theories and lists of emotions. We've attempted to synthesize them here to give you a complete alphabetical list of emotions. (You can download this as a printable list below.)

Printable List of Emotions

Want to print this emotion list? Grab the list of emotions PDF or word doc below.

printable-list-of-emotions.docx
Download File


printable-list-of-emotions.pdf
Download File


List of Feeling Words & Phrases

In addition to the emotion words above, here are a few more 'feeling' phrases. These included slang and other words that just didn't quite fit into the emotion list above.

'Feeling' words and phrases:

  • feeling cheesed off
  • having a desire to disappear
  • feeling good
  • having the heebie-jeebies
  • feeling like a fraud
  • feeling miffed
  • going postal
  • being gaslighted

List of Emotional Words

Although we've talked about a bunch of words that can be used to describe our emotions, all words actually have an emotional tone. One study assessed the emotional tone of hundreds of words  (Bradley & Lang, 1999) to see how positive or negative people perceived a variety of words to be. The results showed, for example, that words like 'massacre' were rated to be really negative whereas words like 'mother' were rated as really positive. This study highlighted how we experience every word as emotional, even words that are not explicitly emotional.

List of Emotions for Kids

Our complete list of emotions can all be too much for kids. It's likely better to start with a few emotions and go from there. That's why people try to simplify emotion lists for kids and make it easier to learn about new emotions.

​We too have made a few tools that can help kids learn about their emotions. First, our emotional coloring book includes downloadable coloring pages of a cute puppy exhibiting various emotional expressions. We also have emotional puppy cards that can be downloaded and pasted on a fridge or walls for kids to learn from. 

These emotion tools include the following 12 emotions:

  • happy
  • silly
  • surprised
  • excited
  • scared
  • sad
  • angry
  • disgusted
  • jealous
  • bored
  • guilty
  • embarrassed

Emotion Faces

An Emotion List for Adults

Here are few more emotion words for adults:

  • sexy
  • sensual
  • racy seductive
  • provocative
  • risque
  • crude

Activities for Learning More About Your Emotions

Learn more about your emotions and how to manage them on our emotional skills page. Discover activities for working on your emotions on our emotion activities page. These pages bring together insights on all sorts of topics related to emotions.

Articles for Learning More About Emotions

Want to learn more about some of these emotions. Here are a few related articles:​​

  • Emotion: Definition, Theories, and List of Emotions​
  • Emotional Unavailability: Definition, Causes, & Signs
  • Positive Emotions: List, 90+ Examples, Theories, & Tips​
  • Emotional Detachment: Definition, Causes & Signs
  • ​Emotional Numbness: Definition, Causes & How to Deal With It
  • Emotional Dysregulation: Definition, Examples, And Tips

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References

  • Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1999). Affective norms for English words (ANEW): Instruction manual and affective ratings (Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 25-36). Technical report C-1, the center for research in psychophysiology, University of Florida.
  • Ekman, P. (1999). Basic emotions. Handbook of cognition and emotion98(45-60), 16.
  • ​Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of personality and social psychology39(6), 1161.
  • ​Trnka, R., Lačev, A., Balcar, K., Kuška, M., & Tavel, P. (2016). Modeling semantic emotion space using a 3D hypercube-projection: an innovative analytical approach for the psychology of emotions. Frontiers in psychology7, 522.

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Sadness: Definition, Causes, & Related Emotions

Sadness: Definition, Causes, & Related Emotions

By Zamfira Parincu, BA, Researcher
Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

What is sadness? Find out why it is important to learn how to sit with sadness and some techniques to overcome it.

*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.

Sadness is a natural and extremely common emotion. Most likely, we all felt a bit sad in 2020, perhaps because it was so long since we saw our friends or were able to travel. But bad moods aren’t always so bad. Throughout time, humanity cherished the negative feelings evoked by inevitable misfortunes—for example, greek tragedies, classical music and literature that emphasize engulfing sadness, and philosophers that encourage accepting life’s inevitable adversities. So what is sadness? We’ll discuss it here.

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What Is Sadness? (A Definition)

Sadness is an emotional pain that usually has a clear cause, such as losing a loved one, a failure at something important, or an unsuccessful goal.

Feeling sad is normal. Despite our constant efforts to make life perfect and pain-free, sadness will inevitably come, whether it’s from that promotion we didn’t get or a heated argument with a loved one. Everyone has a bad day sometimes, and we all feel sadness at some point in our lives.

Sadness is also a healthy emotion. Although it might not be the most comfortable emotion, as we usually tend to do our best to avoid it, sadness is valid. It teaches you to appreciate life, gives you insight into the inner worlds of others, and allows you to process life changes.

In Inside Out, an Academy Award-winning movie about Riley’s emotions as she struggles with life changes, all emotions have a hard time understanding Sadness’s purpose. Although it takes an intense adventure into the far reaches of Riley’s mind, in the end, it’s all clear: Sadness is not just about being sad but also emphasizes other feelings, such as compassion, empathy, or love, and it connects people on a deeper level. You can watch a short video on how Sadness went from being the outcast of the group to the one in power below:

Video: Joy Realizes Why Sadness Is an Important Emotion

The “you need to be happy”, toxic positivity mentality only takes away from the joys of your life.

Why Do You Feel Sadness?

There are many reasons why you could feel sad, as sadness is a part of our life. You could be sad because you lost your job. Or you could be sad because you didn't celebrate an important holiday with your loved ones. Maybe it’s been so long since you had a heartfelt conversation with a close friend. 

​If you feel sad, you might also:

  • Cry more often
  • Lose interest in activities that you used to enjoy
  • Drink more alcohol than before
  • Have trouble sleeping

​We all want to be happy. But the pressure to be happy and cheerful every single day can be extremely tiring and detrimental to our actual well-being. Many philosophers argue that to be happy, we first need to let ourselves be sad. To learn more about this duality, you can check the video below:

Video: How to Be Sad

Sadness vs. Depression

Sadness is a natural and normal emotion. You can be sad when your friend moves across the globe, and you won’t be able to hang out with them that much anymore. You can be sad when you lose a job or an important relationship. Feeling sadness sometimes is not only normal but also a sign that there are important things in your life worth protecting. Sadness is just another way we are human.

Depression is different from sadness.
Although we casually use the words interchangeably and say things like “I’m so depressed today,” not only are they different, but it’s crucial to differentiate between them. Sadness is a normal emotion that we all experience. Clinical depression is a serious medical disorder. 

When you’re sad, although you feel down, you are still able to enjoy hanging out with friends or laughing at a good movie. When you’re experiencing depression, however, usually it’s not the same: what brought you pleasure before doesn’t have the same effect now.

Depression, or major depressive disorder, is a medical condition that negatively affects your social or work-related daily functioning, has an impact on your body, and even alters your brain. Although feelings of sadness may be associated with depression, the difference between depression and sadness is not only about intensity or degree but also how it negatively affects the person’s body and mind.

Health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to diagnose mental illnesses. To be diagnosed with clinical depression, they need to experience at least five (or more) symptoms during a 2-week period. Also, at least one symptom should be a (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. The severity of each symptom is also important when health professionals make an assessment (DSM-5, 2013).

The symptoms are:

  1. Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day.
  2. Lack of interest and enjoyment in activities. 
  3. Trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much.
  4. Trouble eating, or eating too much, and weight gain or weight loss.
  5. Extreme fatigue most of the day, nearly every day.
  6. Inappropriate or exaggerated feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
  7. Inability to concentrate or make decisions.
  8. Recurrent suicidal thoughts or actions, or thinking a lot about death and dying.

​To better understand the differences between sadness and depression, let’s look at how differently they affect a person. When you are sad after a negative event in your life, although your sleep quality may decrease, you will likely still be able to sleep as you normally do.

Depression and sleep are closely connected. Many studies have shown that depression is overwhelmingly associated with a significant disruption of the normal sleeping pattern, specifically insomnia. For example, 75% of depressed patients have insomnia and 40% have hypersomnia (excessive sleeping and difficulty staying awake during the day) (Nutt, Wilson & Paterson, 2008). So, being sad and experiencing clinical depression impact your sleeping patterns differently.

Sadness vs Anxiety vs Anger

Sadness, anxiety, and anger are different. Just because they are different doesn’t mean an event can’t trigger all of them. For example, if you lost your job, you could feel sad about how it happened, be angry because it wasn’t fair, and experience anxiety when thinking about how you’re going to pay your bills.

Another example can be if you had to move to a completely different area for reasons that you had no control over, such as health problems of a family member. In this case, you can be sad that you’re moving away from your friends, feel angry that you have to start over again or that you don’t like the new place, and experience anxiety when thinking about meeting new people and building connections.

Sometimes, however, the distinction between them is not as clear. A quote that circles the Internet, often attributed to CS Lewis, captures how sadness and anger are intertwined: “I sat with my anger long enough until she told me her real name was grief.” Highlighting the connection between sadness and anger and how to differentiate between them, the quote aims at letting your emotions be.

Allowing yourself to feel your emotions, instead of suppressing them can increase your awareness of how to deal with them and practice acceptance. If you feel that you lost an important part of your identity, getting angry at the world can make sense in the short term. It’s important to understand that you can use this anger to enable positive change in your life.

Anxiety and anger can pose risks for your mental and physical health, too. They have been shown to increase vulnerability to illnesses and heart diseases, compromise the immune system, infection response, and recovery time, and increase the risk of death (Suinn, 2001).

Sadness vs Loneliness

Sadness is different from loneliness, although they are closely connected and usually appear together. Loneliness is about a gap between how much social connection you’d like and the actually experienced connection. Loneliness comes from our human desire to connect, an important aspect of our lives and well-being, and is not only about the number of social connections but also about their quality. For instance, you could be friendly with many colleagues and still feel lonely sometimes because you’d like to be closer to them.

Loneliness is a very common experience. If you feel lonely, you are not alone. In fact, the majority of us felt lonely at least one time in our lives. Recent reports show that 61% of young adults and 36% of all Americans feel “Serious loneliness,” meaning feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time or all the time” (Weissbourd et al., 2021). No wonder why researchers have warned us about the loneliness epidemic.

Loneliness has serious consequences for your mental and physical health (Mushtaq et al., 2014), including:

  • Diabetes
  • Heart problems
  • Obesity
  • Sleep issues
  • Poor health
  • Physiological aging 
  • Mortality 
  • Depression 

​Sadness and loneliness often coexist. When something bad happens, such as you lost an important person or had to move to a different area, you can feel sad about the change in your life and lonely or disconnected from your friends. Sadness can trigger loneliness and isolation, which may increase feelings of sadness. As sadness and loneliness continue this vicious cycle, both increase in intensity, feeding off each other. Although it may seem that this continuous loop is impossible to break, it’s important to know that there are things you can do to improve.

Tips & Techniques for Overcoming Sadness

Sadness is a normal aspect of our lives. “The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality,” writes Andrew Solomon in The Noonday Demon, an atlas about depression.  If you find yourself feeling sad for longer than usual or with a higher intensity than before, there are a few things you can do to overcome the sadness and bring back vitality.

  • Be aware. Gently ask yourself what is causing you these feelings. It may be work-related, or about a friend, or even about something that you didn’t do as you promised. It’s important to be aware and present in the moment. As sadness can also appear when you’re lonely, grieving, feeling helpless, the first step to feeling better is to identify what caused you to be sad in the first place.
  • Be sad. I know it can seem counterintuitive, but allowing yourself to feel the sadness you’re experiencing, giving it time and space, can be extremely beneficial. If you suppress or deny your emotions, it can lead to actual physical stress on your body and mental health issues. Cry if you feel like it or take a few hours to recharge. Studies actually echo what philosophers have been saying for decades: tears are cathartic, working like a purifying mechanism that helps you release stress and emotional pain (Newhouse, 2021).
  • Be compassionate. If you validate your sadness, it can help you move through it. Be curious and compassionate about what makes you sad or what about the current loss makes it harder for you. Figure out what type of comforting you need, maybe talk to a friend or spend the evening alone, and allow yourself to get the self-compassion you need (Hendel, 2020).
  • Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about being present in the moment without any judgment. When you practice mindfulness, you train your brain to be present and not stressed out or sad about previous events that you have no control over.
  • Connect. Although sometimes, when you’re sad, connecting with your loved one might be the last thing you want to do, it can actually be beneficial. Loneliness and sadness go hand in hand, but reaching out to friends or family might positively affect your mood and strengthen your social connections. Many studies have linked having a strong support network to lower depression symptoms (Pfeiffer et al., 2010).
  • Improve your sleep hygiene. Sleep and mood are strongly connected. Studies clearly show the significant relation between sleep and depressive symptoms (Nutt, Wilson & Paterson, 2008), so getting more sleep can improve your mood. Some strategies to promote sleep quality include not using your phone at least an hour before bed, reading a book, and getting some physical exercise during the day.

Sadness Quotes

  • “Because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air. ” ― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar 
  • “Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word “happy” would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”  ― C. G. Jung 
  • “Tears are words that need to be written.” ― Paulo Coelho 
  • ​​“Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.” ― Clive Barker, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War ​

Articles Related to Sadness

Want to learn more about sadness and how to overcome it? Here are some more articles to read.​

  • ​How to Be Happy: 21 Science-Based Ways to Be Happier
  • Feeling Sad? Try These 20 Science-Based Depression Busters
  • Negativity: Definition, Bias, & Tips to Stop It
  • Negative Emotions: List & 158 Examples (+ PDF)

Books About Sadness

  • The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After Loss​
  • Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy
  • Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life by John B. Arden

Final Thoughts on Sadness

We all want to be happy, but we shouldn’t suppress our more uncomfortable feelings in the process. Sadness is a normal and natural emotion, working to show us what is important and valuable in our lives.

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References

  • ​American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). 
  • Mushtaq, R., Shoib, S., Shah, T., & Mushtaq, S. (2014). Relationship between loneliness, psychiatric disorders and physical health? A review on the psychological aspects of loneliness. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 8(9), WE01.
  • Newhouse, L. (2021, March 21). Is crying good for you? Harvard Health Blog. 
  • Nutt, D., Wilson, S., & Paterson, L. (2008). Sleep disorders as core symptoms of depression. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 10(3), 329.
  • Pfeiffer, P. N., Heisler, M., Piette, J. D., Rogers, M. A., & Valenstein, M. (2011). Efficacy of peer support interventions for depression: a meta-analysis. General hospital psychiatry, 33(1), 29-36.
  • Suinn, R. M. (2001). The terrible twos—anger and anxiety: Hazardous to your health. American Psychologist, 56(1), 27–36. 
  • Solomon, A. (2014). The noonday demon: An atlas of depression. Simon and Schuster.
  • Weissbourd, R., Batanova, M., Lovison, V., & Torres, E. (2021). Loneliness in America how the Pandemic Has Deepened an Epidemic of Loneliness and What We Can Do about it. Making Caring Common Project.

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what are in psychology, classification, the most complete list

Content:

  • Types of sensations in psychology
  • The most complete list, characteristics of the main
  • Types of sensations depending on various criteria nine0004
  • Wundt's approach
  • Sherrington classification
  • Head's theory
  • What types of sensations for a person are more priority
  • nine0017

    Contents

    • Types of sensations in psychology
    • The most complete list, characteristics of the main
    • Types of sensations depending on various criteria
      • Wundt's approach nine0006
      • Sherrington classification
      • Head's theory
    • What types of sensations for a person are more priority
    nine0042 Types of sensations in psychology

    Definition

    Sensation is a mental reflection by the subject of the states and properties of the external environment, external or internal stimuli that come in the form of signals from the sensory system.

    The sensory system consists of receptors, associated neural pathways, and areas of the brain designed to process the received signals. Sensory systems of the human body are touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste. With their help, a person feels tastes, feels pressure, distinguishes sounds and smells. nine0003

    Classification of sensations implies division by:

    Caution! If the teacher detects plagiarism in the work, major problems cannot be avoided (up to expulsion). If it is not possible to write yourself, order here.

    • location of receptors;
    • kind of stimulus;
    • time of occurrence in the process of evolution;
    • the absence or presence of direct contact with the irritant.

    From the point of view of benefit for a person, sensations are a simple and effective way of cognition, obtaining information about the surrounding world and its elements. In addition, by reacting to various types of stimulants and irritants, the human body realizes the instinct of self-preservation and ensures its physical integrity. nine0003

    The most complete list, characteristics of the main

    Each type of sensation has its own distinctive characteristics:

    1. Visual are the perception of color and light, are the result of the action of light rays on the retina. The main characteristic of visual sensations is the dependence on the level of illumination: the more light, the better a person sees, and vice versa.
    2. Auditory - a type of sensation that occurs under the action of sound waves. In this category, noises, speech and musical sensations are distinguished. In each of them, the sensory system distinguishes between the duration of the sound, timbre, pitch and strength of the sound. nine0006
    3. Taste sensations are the result of irritation of taste buds in the palate, in the pharynx, on the surface of the tongue. It is noteworthy that the dry surface does not perceive taste. It can be distinguished only if the substance is dissolved in water or saliva.
    4. Sense of smell - the ability to distinguish odors - is due to the presence of sensory hairs on the olfactory membrane in the nasal cavity. Humans are capable of detecting a variety of odors that fall into one of the following categories: floral, burnt, ethereal, putrid, spicy. nine0006
    5. Skin sensations are divided into temperature and tactile. Tactile give knowledge about the properties of objects. A characteristic of temperature is the ability to evoke various emotions, to participate in the regulation of heat transfer.
    6. The sense of balance is the result of the functioning of the vestibular apparatus located in the inner ear. Its peculiarity is that perception entirely depends on the position of the head.
    7. Organic sensations - a special category, which includes nausea, hunger, thirst, suffocation. They are distinguished by the ability to merge into one sensation with good health and stand out with signs of a malfunction in the internal organs. nine0006
    8. Pain is an indicator of danger when trouble occurs in the body. Depending on which way the impulses are conducted, the speed of the reaction depends: the impulses propagate through the nerve centers with a delay, along the nerve fibers - almost instantly.
    9. Touch - sensations that arise when examining an object by moving the hand along its surface. They are a combination of motor and tactile sensations.

    The ability to perceive and evaluate sensations can be developed. But each person has absolute thresholds, overcoming which excludes the possibility of distinguishing sounds, smells, touches. There is a lower absolute threshold, which correlates with the minimum fixed strength of the stimulus, and an upper one, beyond which unbearable pain occurs. nine0003

    Note

    In total, a person can distinguish 3 thousand different tastes. But all of them are divided into 4 main types: salty, sour, sweet, bitter. Variety depends on certain combinations, their variations.

    Types of sensations depending on various criteria

    The author of the world's first classification was Aristotle. He divided all the senses into hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch. By the 19th century, the volume of knowledge had increased significantly. Therefore, the following authors have proposed more sophisticated approaches. nine0003

    Wundt's approach

    The German psychologist Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt proposed a classification according to the properties of stimuli. He singled out:

    • mechanical properties;
    • physical;
    • chemical.

    Wundt attributed the sense of touch to the mechanical. To the physical - hearing and vision, since sound waves and rays of light act as irritants. To chemical - taste and smell.

    Sherrington's classification

    British neuroscientist Charles Scott Sherrington went the other way. He made a grouping according to the localization of receptors, divided the sensations into:

    • interoceptive - arising from exposure to receptors of internal organs;
    • exteroceptive - formed by stimulation of receptors on the surface of the body;
    • proprioceptive - tested with irritation of receptors of ligaments, tendons, muscles.

    Exteroceptive sensations the scientist additionally divided into two types:

    • distant — hearing, sight, smell;
    • contact - sensations caused by touch. nine0006

    Head's theory

    According to the theory of the English neuropsychologist Henry Head, all known species should be distinguished by such a criterion as origin. In this regard, the author singled out:

    • protopathic sensitivity - primitive, earlier in origin, distinguished by separation from thinking, close connection with emotions;
    • epicritical sensitivity - later in origin, having connections with thinking, distinguished by clear localization, greater differentiation, the possibility of precise definition. nine0006

    Since elements of both types are present in the work of each of the organs, sensory systems, the description proposed by Head was not widely used.

    What types of sensations are more priority for a person?

    Example

    Pain signals a malfunction in the functioning of internal organs, a violation of the integrity of the skin, muscles, bones. Thanks to it, the human brain receives a signal of trouble in a timely manner.

    Example

    Through touch, the child receives information about the objects around him, their properties, learns to differentiate them from each other not only by size, color and smell, but also by physical properties.

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    Disorders of sensation and perception

    Disorders of sensation.

    By sensations it is customary to understand such a function of a person's mental activity, which allows one to evaluate the individual properties of objects and the phenomenon of the world around him and his own organism. The physiological basis of sensation is the analyzers of the sense organs, which make it possible to recognize such sides as hard or soft, warm or cold, loud or quiet, transparent or cloudy, red or blue, large or small, etc.

    Exteroceptive receptors (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory) give a person information about the surrounding world,

    interoceptive - about the state of internal organs and systems, proprioceptive - about the position of the body in space and movements.

    The terms anesthesia, hypoesthesia, hyperesthesia, cenestopathy and paresthesia are used to define sensory disturbances.

    Anesthesia - no sensation.

    Hypesthesia - weakening of sensations, in which strong stimuli are perceived as weak, bright light as dim, strong sound as weak, pungent odor as faintly perceptible, etc.

    Hyperesthesia - an increase in sensations, in which there are phenomena opposite to those described in hypoesthesia. With hyperesthesia, for example, patients protect themselves from "bright" light with dark glasses, complain of unpleasant painful sensations from soft underwear,

    are irritated by any touch, etc.

    Paresthesia - the appearance of unpleasant sensations from the superficial parts of the body in the absence of real stimuli. These can be complaints of burning, tingling, experiencing the passage of an electric current through certain areas of the skin, a feeling of frostbite of the fingertips, etc. The localization of paresthesia is unstable, changeable, of varying intensity and duration.

    Senestopathies - unpleasant sensations of varying intensity and duration from the internal organs in the absence of established somatic pathology. They, like paresthesia, are difficult to verbalize by patients, and when describing them, the latter most often use comparisons. For example: as if the intestines are moving, air is blowing through the brain, the liver has increased in size and presses on the bladder, etc.

    Most often, the pathology of sensations occurs in asthenic disorders of various etiologies, but can also be observed in psychotic variants of diseases. Long-term paresthesias or senestopathies may be the basis for the formation of hypochondriacal delusions, delusions of influence.

    Perceptual disorders.

    Perception, unlike sensations, gives a complete picture of an object or phenomenon. Its physiological basis is the sense organs. The end product of perception is a figurative, sensory representation of a particular object. nine0003

    Perceptual disorders are represented by several disorders: agnosia, illusions, hallucinations and psychosensory disorders.

    Agnosia – unrecognition of an object, inability of the patient to explain the meaning and name of the perceived object Visual, auditory and other agnosias are similarly considered and studied in the course of nervous diseases. In psychiatry, anosognosias (not recognizing one's illness) are of particular interest, occurring in many mental and somatic diseases (hysterical disorders, alcoholism, tumors, tuberculosis, etc. ) and having a different pathogenetic nature. nine0003

    Illusions

    Illusions is a perceptual disturbance in which a real-life object is perceived as completely different (for example, a shiny object on the road that looks like a coin, upon closer examination, turns out to be a piece of glass, a bathrobe hanging in a dark corner - behind the figure of a hidden person).

    There are physical, physiological and mental illusions.

    Physical illusions are due to the peculiarities of the environment in which the perceived object is located. For example, a mountain range is perceived as colored in different colors in the rays of the setting sun, as we see it in R. Roerich's paintings. An object in a transparent vessel half-filled with liquid seems to be broken at the boundary between liquid and air. nine0003

    Physiological illusions arise in connection with the conditions of functioning of the receptors. Cold water after being in the cold is perceived as warm, a light load after prolonged physical exertion is perceived as heavy.

    Mental illusions, more often they are called affective in connection with the emotional state of fear, anxiety, expectation. An anxious and suspicious person walking late hears the steps of the pursuer behind him. Being in a state of alcohol withdrawal, he sees various faces or figures in spots on the wall. nine0003

    Pareidolic illusions are mental, they are a kind of visual illusions with a changing content of erroneous images. They often occur in the initial period of psychotic states, in particular alcoholic delirium. Patients in the drawings of wallpaper, carpets see changing faces, moving figures of people, even pictures of a battle.

    The remaining illusions are often not a symptom of a mental illness, they are often found in mentally healthy individuals under the above conditions. nine0003

    Another existing classification of illusions is based on their differentiation by analyzers: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory. The first two varieties are most common, and the last two cause great difficulty in distinguishing from hallucinations of smell and taste.

    Hallucinations.

    Hallucinations is such a disturbance of perception, in which an object or phenomenon that does not exist at a given time and place is perceived in the absence of a critical attitude towards them. Hallucinating patients perceive them as really existing, and not something imaginary. Therefore, any reasonable arguments of the interlocutor that the sensations they experience are only manifestations of the disease are denied and can only irritate the patient. nine0003

    All hallucinatory experiences are classified according to a number of characteristics: complexity, content, time of occurrence, interest of one or another analyzer, and some others.

    According to the complexity of hallucinations are divided into elementary, simple and complex. The former include photopsias (visual images devoid of a specific form in the form of spots, contours, glare), acoasma (calls, obscure noises) and other simple phenomena. Only one analyzer is involved in the formation of simple hallucinations. When complex hallucinations appear, several analyzers are involved. Thus, the patient can not only see an imaginary person, but also hear his voice, feel his touch, smell his cologne, etc.

    Visual or auditory hallucinations are the most common in clinical practice.

    Visual hallucinations may be represented by single or multiple images, previously encountered or mythical creatures, moving and stationary figures, harmless or attacking the patient, with natural or unnatural coloration.

    If the visual image is perceived not in the usual field of vision, but somewhere on the side or behind, then such hallucinations are called extracampal. The experience of seeing one's doubles is called autoscopic hallucinations. nine0003

    Auditory hallucinations can be experienced by patients as the sound of the wind, the howling of animals, the buzzing of insects, etc., but most often in the form of verbal hallucinations. These can be the voices of familiar or unfamiliar people, one person or a group of people (polyphonic hallucinations), who are nearby or at a far distance.

    According to the content, "voices" can be neutral, indifferent to the patient or threatening, insulting. They can address the patient with questions, messages, award him orders or remove him from office, comment on his actions (commenting on hallucinations) and give advice. Sometimes the “voices” talk about the patient without addressing him, while some scold him, threaten him with punishments, others defend him, offer to give him time to correct himself (antagonistic hallucinations). nine0003

    The greatest danger for the patient and his environment are imperative hallucinations, which are in the form of orders to perform a particular action. These orders may be harmless (cook food, change clothes, visit, etc.), but often lead to dire consequences (self-harm or suicide, injure or kill a familiar person or a bystander).

    As a rule, the patient cannot oppose these orders, he carries them out, at best he asks to limit his actions in some way so as not to cause trouble. nine0003

    Tactile hallucinations are most often represented by a feeling of crawling on the skin or under it of various kinds of insects. In this case, even if the feeling of crawling is not confirmed by visual hallucinations, the patient can tell about their size, number, direction of movement, color, etc.

    Olfactory and gustatory hallucinations are rare. Olfactory consists in the sensation of non-existent pleasant, often unpleasant odors (hydrogen sulfide, rot, sewage, etc.) Taste - the experience of some kind of taste in the mouth, regardless of the nature of the food taken. nine0003

    With visceral hallucinations, patients claim that there are some creatures in their body (worms, frogs, snakes, etc. ) that cause them pain, eat the food they eat, disturb their sleep, etc.).

    Visceral hallucinations, in contrast to senestopathies, have the form of an image with the corresponding size and color characteristics. movement features.

    Functional, dominant, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are treated separately from others.

    Functional hallucinations occur against the background of the action of an external stimulus, and are perceived simultaneously with it, but without merging, as is the case with illusions. For example, in the noise of rain, the ticking of a clock, the patient begins to hear the voices of people.

    Dominant hallucinations reflect the content of the mental trauma that caused the disease. For example, a person who has lost a close relative hears his voice or sees his figure.

    Hypnagogic hallucinations of any kind occur in the state of transition from wakefulness to sleep, hypnopampampic hallucinations - upon awakening. nine0003

    Of particular importance for the diagnosis of mental disorders is the division of hallucinations into true and false (pseudohallucinations).

    true hallucinations are characterized by a projection into the environment, they naturally fit into it, they bear the same signs of reality as the surrounding objects. Patients are convinced that others are experiencing the same experiences, but for unknown reasons they hide it. True perceptual delusions usually influence the behavior of the patient, which becomes consistent with the content of hallucinatory images. True hallucinations are more common in exogenous psychoses. nine0003

    Pseudo-hallucinations have a number of properties that are different from the true ones:

      1. They lack signs of reality, do not fit into the environment, are perceived as something alien, strange, different from previous sensations. Through the man sitting on a chair, the back of the chair is visible, a nearby tiger with a grin of teeth, according to V.Kh. Kandinsky, does not cause a feeling of fear, but rather curiosity.

      2. Projection of hallucinations inside the body. The patient hears voices not with the ear, but inside the head, sees images located in the abdomen or chest. nine0003

      3. Experience of the feeling of hallucinations being made. The patient does not see the image himself, but it is shown to him, he hears a voice inside his head because someone did this, perhaps by inserting a microphone into his head. If a visual hallucination is projected outside, but has the above listed signs, it can be classified as a pseudo hallucination.

      4. Often, pseudohallucinations, if they are not imperative, do not affect the patient's behavior. Even close relatives may not realize for months that there is a hallucinating person next to them. nine0003

    Pseudohallucinations are more common in endogenous disorders, namely schizophrenia, are included in the Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome.

    One can learn about the presence of hallucinatory experiences not only from the words of the patient and his relatives, but also from the objective signs of hallucinations that are reflected in the patient's behavior.

    Hallucinations belong to the psychotic level of disorders, their treatment is best carried out in a hospital, and imperative hallucinations are a prerequisite for involuntary hospitalization. nine0003

    Hallucinations form the basis of the hallucinatory syndrome. Long-term, non-stop hallucinations, most often verbal, are referred to as hallucinosis.

    Psychosensory disorders.

    (disorders of sensory synthesis)

    Sensory synthesis disorders are such a perceptual disorder in which a real (as opposed to hallucinations) perceived object is recognized correctly (as opposed to illusions), but in an altered, distorted form. nine0003

    There are two groups of psychosensory disorders - derealization and depersonalization.

    Derealization is a distorted perception of the surrounding world. It in the statements of patients can be indefinite, difficult to verbalize. There is a feeling of change in the surrounding world, it has become somehow different, not the same as before. Houses don't stand that way, people don't move that way, the city looks camouflaged, and so on. For patients who are depressed, statements are characteristic that the world has lost its colors, has become dull, blurry, lifeless. nine0003

    In other cases, experiences of derealization are expressed in quite definite terms. This concerns, first of all, the distortion of the shape, size, weight and color of the perceived object.

    Micropsia - perception of an object in a reduced size, macropsia - in an enlarged size, metamorphopsia - in a distorted form (broken, bent, deformed, etc.) One of the patients periodically ran out of the ward with a loud cry of "fire", as he perceived everything around it in bright red. nine0003

    Derealization can also be manifested by the phenomena déjà vu, eprouve vu, entendu vu, as well as jamais vu, jamais eprouve vu, jamais entendu. In the first case, we are talking about the fact that the individual experiences the situation that has arisen as it has already been seen, heard or experienced. In the second, already previously known - as never seen, heard or experienced.

    Derealization also includes a violation of the perception of time and space.

    Patients in a manic state perceive time as faster than in reality, in a depressive state - as slow. nine0003

    Those who are in a state of intoxication as a result of marijuana smoking feel that nearby objects are at a distance of tens of meters from them.

    Derealization is more common in mental disorders of exogenous etiology.

    Symptoms of depersonalization can be presented in two variants: somatopsychic and autopsychic.

    Somatopsychic depersonalization, or disturbance of the body scheme, is represented by experiences of changes in the size of the body or its parts, weight and configuration.


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