The Compendium of Emotions: A Resource for Developing Emotional Understanding

This Compendium is a collection of concise, detailed information about 40 emotions. For each emotion it provides:

• Main theme in a nutshell
• Definition
• What is the difference
• What is the connection
• Synonyms & Antonyms
• Quotations
• Linked emotions and attitudes
• Etymology
• Reflection Questions

It supports parents and teachers to connect emotionally with young people and instil in them a habit of emotional reflection. It facilitates dialogue between adults and young people about the emotions they feel and how they deal with them. The best way to give young people tools for greater emotional flexibility is to teach them new words. It aims to help young people to explore feelings that are normal and to learn how to ride the moment-by-moment waves, instead of getting tossed around by them. This is particularly useful between the ages of three and ten when children are most open to messages from their parents and teachers about emotions.

The key skill in emotional understanding is what has been termed emotional granularity. This is the ability to fine grain and label our emotions accurately. The wider the range of emotions we can draw upon the better. When we know the specific emotions we are feeling, we are more able to trace the cause and better understand why we feel the way we do. This gives us a better idea of how to deal with the situation.

The Compendium has an Introduction consisting of a set of short chapters discussing the main aspects of emotions:

1. What our Emotions do for us
2. Our Emotional Self
3. What we get Emotional about
4. Feelings to Complex Emotions
5. Different types of emotions
6. Emotional Regulation
7. Emotional Granulation
8. Emotions and Values
9. Gender difference in emotionality
10. Developing Emotional Understanding
11. Emotional Progression

The model illuminates three phases of progression in emotional understanding, Schools can use this progression in a whole school approach to developing emotional understanding. There is a recommended set of emotions to explore within each primary stage.

Phase i - Pre-school to Primary 2: Noticing First Feelings

Phase ii – Primary 3 to 4: Regulating Emotions

Phase iii – Primary 5 to 7: Understanding Complex Emotions

Barrett, L. F. (2017) How Emotions are Made The Secret Life of the Brain Boston, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Mclean, A. (2017) Knowing and Growing: Insights into Developing Ourselves and Others CCWB Press