Feelings, or emotions, can be described using multiple dimensions, not a single one. The 6DE model proposes that emotions are characterized by six dimensions: arousal, valence, dominance, agency, fidelity, and novelty.
Understanding the 6DE Model
The 6DE model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the multidimensional nature of feelings. Here's a breakdown of each dimension:
- Arousal: This dimension represents the level of activation or energy associated with an emotion.
- Low Arousal: Indicates a state of calmness, relaxation, or lethargy. Example: Feeling peaceful while meditating.
- High Arousal: Represents excitement, anticipation, or agitation. Example: Feeling thrilled before a performance.
- Valence: This refers to the pleasantness or unpleasantness of an emotion.
- Positive Valence: Emotions like joy, happiness, and love fall under this category.
- Negative Valence: Includes emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear.
- Dominance: This dimension relates to the degree of control or influence one feels while experiencing an emotion.
- High Dominance: Associated with feeling in control and powerful. Example: Experiencing pride after a victory.
- Low Dominance: Related to feeling helpless or controlled by circumstances. Example: Feeling overwhelmed by a difficult task.
- Agency: This indicates the degree to which the emotion is attributed to oneself or to an external factor.
- Internal Agency: The emotion arises from one’s own actions or choices. Example: Feeling guilty after making a mistake.
- External Agency: The emotion is caused by external events or other people. Example: Feeling surprised by an unexpected gift.
- Fidelity: Describes the authenticity of the emotion.
- High Fidelity: The emotion aligns with the situation and feels genuine. Example: Feeling genuine sadness at a funeral.
- Low Fidelity: The emotion feels superficial or insincere. Example: Forced laughter.
- Novelty: This dimension relates to how new or familiar an experience and related emotion is.
- High Novelty: The experience and associated emotions are unexpected and new. Example: Excitement experienced when traveling to a new place.
- Low Novelty: The experience and emotion feel repetitive and known. Example: Boredom during a routine task.
Dimensions in Action
A single feeling may be described across multiple dimensions. For example, feeling "excited" may be high in arousal, positive in valence, moderate in dominance, possibly internal in agency, high in fidelity (if truly excited), and it could also be high in novelty if it is a new type of excitement.
Conclusion
Feelings are not one-dimensional; they are better understood as multi-dimensional constructs. The 6DE model, which incorporates dimensions like arousal, valence, dominance, agency, fidelity, and novelty, offers a robust framework for analyzing the complexities of human emotions.