PART I: THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

 

Section 1: Introduction: A Structural-Constructivist Approach to Emotion

 

For centuries, the nature of emotion has been a central question in psychology and philosophy. Modern inquiry is marked by the "emotion paradox": while people report vivid and discrete experiences of emotions like "anger" or "sadness," neuroscience has struggled to identify consistent, dedicated biological fingerprints for these specific categories (Barrett, 2017a). Classical "basic emotion" theories, notably from Paul Ekman, proposed an innate set of universal emotions, each with a distinct, cross-culturally recognizable biological signature (Ekman, 1992). While influential, these theories face challenges in accounting for the immense variability and cultural specificity of emotional life.

 

In response, constructionist theories have gained prominence. The Theory of Constructed Emotion, for example, posits that emotions are not biologically hardwired but are emergent psychological phenomena constructed "in the moment" (Barrett, 2017a). From this perspective, the brain actively constructs instances of emotion by integrating fundamental ingredients—such as interoceptive sensations (termed "core affect") and culturally-derived conceptual knowledge—to make meaning of a situation (Barrett, 2017b). This reframes emotions not as reactions we have, but as predictions our brain makes.

 

The Core Emotion Framework (CEF) builds upon this constructionist foundation by proposing a unique structural-constructivist model. It concurs that complex emotional states are synthesized rather than innate but advances the field by defining a specific, universal architecture of the ingredients from which these states are built. The framework posits that emotions are not merely feelings to be managed but are fundamental psychological capacities that serve as the "building blocks of human character" (CEF, 2024; Manuscript, n.d.).

 

Her you'll fiond a detailed blueprint for how these emotional constructions occur, moving from abstract theory to a tangible model of psychic architecture. The model is rooted in the concept of ten Core Emotions, which are foundational elements that combine to form the vast array of observable "practical traits" constituting personality and behavior (Manuscript, n.d.).

 

This approach bridges bottom-up biological theories with top-down cognitive models. Research in affective neuroscience, pioneered by Jaak Panksepp, identified several evolutionarily ancient emotional command systems in subcortical brain regions that generate instinctual urges like SEEKING, RAGE, and FEAR (Panksepp, 1998; Davis & Montag, 2018). While Panksepp framed these as primary-process systems, the CEF provides a more granular model, suggesting that an experience like "fear" is itself a construction of more primary ingredients.

 

The ten Core Emotions function as an intermediary layer, representing the psychological manifestations of these primal energies and providing a structured account of how they combine to create the rich tapestry of human emotional experience.

 

 

Section 2: The Ten Core Emotions: Primal Capacities of the Psyche

 

The CEF identifies ten fundamental and irreducible psychological capacities, termed Core Emotions. These are not emotions in the conventional sense but are the elemental drives and functions from which all psychological states are constructed. As a heuristic parallel, they are analogous to the Kabbalistic concept of the ten sefirot (emanations) as they manifest in the human soul (Manuscript, n.d.).

 

1. Inquisitive Sensing (Sensing): The capacity for non-conceptual, intuitive perception of environmental and internal cues. It is the drive for originality and authenticity, serving as the engine of insight and curiosity.
    
2. Structural Analysis (Calculating): The capacity for logical evaluation, consistency checking, and analysis of practical implications. It is the drive for clarity and verifiable understanding, providing a critical counterbalance to Inquisitive Sensing.
    
3. Decisive Knowing  (Deciding): The capacity to synthesize perception and analysis into a coherent conviction or actionable decision. It integrates the inputs from Sensing and Analysis to form a stable point of view.
    

4. Expansive Openness  (Expanding): The capacity to include and give. It is the engine of affiliation, generosity, and love, operating on a principle of abundance to broaden boundaries.
    

5. Definitive Constriction  (Constricting): The capacity to limit, define, and critique. It is the engine of precision, discipline, and discernment, providing necessary boundaries and focus to the boundless nature of Expansive Openness.
    
6. Harmonious Achievement  (Achieving): The capacity to perform, excel, and manifest balance and dignity. It harmonizes the opposing energies of Expansion and Constriction, driving the pursuit of success and social esteem.
    
7. Strategic Order  (Arranging): The capacity to arrange, prioritize, and maintain a consistent path. It is the engine of planning, perseverance, and the defense of one's values or system.
    
8. Appreciative Resonance (Appreciating): The capacity to appreciate, express gratitude, and experience enjoyment. It is the engine of enthusiasm and praise, representing a joyful yielding to the value of an external source.
    
9. Assertive Drive (Boosting): The capacity to act, initiate, and take responsibility. It is the foundational power of agency—the drive to push forward and overcome obstacles. This capacity is a direct parallel to the general-purpose appetitive motivational system identified in affective neuroscience as the SEEKING system (Panksepp, 1998).
    
10. Receptive Manifestation (Accepting): The capacity to accept, yield, and follow. It is the foundational power of communion and surrender, allowing the self to become a conduit for a larger system or purpose.

 

 

Section 3: The Tripartite Structure of the Self: Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Centers

 

The ten Core Emotions are organized within three primary functional centers of the psyche, representing distinct modes of processing (CEF, 2024).

 

1. The Cognitive Center ("Head"): Houses Sensing, Calculating, and Deciding. It is responsible for perception, conceptualization, and information processing.
    
2. The Affective Center ("Heart"): Houses Expanding, Constricting, and Achieving. It is responsible for relational dynamics, value judgments, and sense of self-worth.
    
3. The Conative Center ("Gut"): Houses Arranging, Appreciating, Boosting, and Accepting. It is responsible for motivation, action, and execution.
    

These centers form a processing hierarchy. Healthy psychological functioning ideally follows a top-down sequence: a situation is first perceived and understood in the Cognitive Center, its emotional and relational significance is assigned in the Affective Center, and an appropriate action is formulated in the Conative Center (Manuscript, n.d.).

Psychological dysfunction can be understood as a "short circuit" in this hierarchy. For instance, impulsivity represents a bypass where an urge from the Conative Center leads to action without sufficient cognitive or affective processing. Similarly, emotional irrationality occurs when the Affective Center hijacks the Cognitive Center, distorting perception to fit a powerful feeling state.

 

 

 

PART II: THE DYNAMICS OF EMOTIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND DYSFUNCTION

 

 

Section 4: The Synthesis of Experience: From Core Emotions to "Practical Traits"

 

 

The emotions and character traits we observe daily—termed "practical traits"—are not primary elements but composite states constructed from combinations of the ten Core Emotions, for example:

 

1. The Construction of "Love": The CEF deconstructs the singular emotion of "love" into distinct manifestations based on different combinations (Manuscript, n.d.).
   
   - Active, Giving Love: A synthesis of Expanding (the drive to include) and Boosting (the power to act). This form is proactive, agentic, and focused on nurturing another.
   
   - Needy, Receiving Love: A synthesis of Expanding and Accepting (the capacity to yield). This form is more passive and focused on receiving care and validation.
    
2. The Construction of "Shame": The experience of shame is deconstructed as a composite of Sensing and Accepting (-submission). In this state, inquisitive Sensing becomes a hyper-awareness of being negatively perceived, while Accepting creates a submission to that perceived judgment, resulting in the feeling of smallness (Manuscript, n.d.).
    
3. The Construction of "Arrogance": This trait is framed as a fusion of Expanding (in its distorted form of inflation) and Achieving (the need for respect). When pathologically fused, the desire for respect becomes an inflated, self-aggrandizing posture. This illustrates a core principle: dysfunction arises not from the Core Emotions themselves, but from their distorted and rigid combinations (Manuscript, n.d.).

 

 

Section 5: Emotional Rigidity: The Pathogenesis of Psychological Dysfunction

 

The central pathological agent in the CEF is Emotional Rigidity, a concept that aligns with research identifying psychological rigidity as a transdiagnostic process underlying a wide range of psychopathologies (Fournet et al., 2023; MY LA Therapy, 2023). Within the CEF, rigidity is a meta-process that causes the normally fluid Core Emotions to become pathologically fused (Manuscript, n.d.).

 

This fusion occurs through an unconscious insistence that a small subset of Core Emotions represents the only valid way of being, leading to the suppression of others. This mechanism creates distinct character pathologies from different fusions. For example, the label "perfectionist" can describe vastly different inner dynamics (Manuscript, n.d.):

 

1. The Assertive Perfectionist: A rigid fusion of Boosting (assertive drive) and Constricting. Their impulse is to impose perfect order on the external world, making them driven and critical.
    
2. The Submissive Perfectionist: A rigid fusion of Accepting (-submission) and Constricting. Their drive is to achieve perfect compliance to gain approval and avoid criticism, creating chronic anxiety.
    
3. The Scattered Perfectionist: A rigid fusion of Expansive Connection and Constricting. They hold a perfect, expansive ideal but are paralyzed by the constrictive demand for flawless execution, resulting in not collecting self.
    

Emotional Rigidity often functions as a deeply ingrained survival strategy. It may arise from a core belief that relinquishing the dominant emotional state would lead to psychological annihilation or worthlessness. This connects to clinical findings linking cognitive rigidity to trauma, where the brain locks into predictable survival patterns (MY LA Therapy, 2023). Therefore, the rigidity that fuses Core Emotions is a defense mechanism; the psyche latches onto a single identity ("I am the one in control") because its perceived value depends on it.

 

Section 6: "The Wheel": Self-Perpetuating Cycles of Dysfunction

 

Emotional Rigidity is maintained by a self-perpetuating feedback loop termed the Wheel (Manuscript, n.d.). This mechanism explains the repetitive nature of many psychological symptoms and consists of two interacting components:

 

• The Core "Problem": A deep-seated anxiety generated by the suppression of non-dominant Core Emotions. For instance, a psyche fixated on control Boosting (assertive drive) uses Constricting to suppress its capacity for vulnerability (Accepting). This suppressed part generates persistent anxiety about losing control.
   

• The Dysfunctional "Solution": An automatic, compulsive reaction that employs the dominant, fused Core Emotions to quell the anxiety. When the control-oriented individual feels a hint of vulnerability, their automatic "solution" is to double down on control, becoming more rigid.

 

This creates a vicious cycle. The "solution" temporarily silences the anxiety by reinforcing the fusion, which in turn deepens the suppression of opposing emotions, generating more profound anxiety over time. The individual becomes trapped, mistaking the cause of their suffering for its cure.

 

 

 

PART III: THE PATH TO INTEGRATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FLOURISHING

 

 

Section 7: The Foundational Polarity: Agency and Yielding

 

The central dynamic for achieving psychological health in the CEF is the mastery of the polarity between Agency and Yielding. These concepts align with the established psychological constructs of Agency (the drive for self-assertion, individuation, and control) and Communion (the drive for connection, participation, and surrender) (Bakan, 1966; Pang, 2017). A healthy psyche can flexibly deploy both. The journey toward mastering this polarity is understood through a three-phase developmental model (Manuscript, n.d.):

 

• Phase 1: The Age of Yielding: Childhood and adolescence, characterized by dependency and adaptation to external structures. Fixation here leads to an overly dependent adult.

 

• Phase 2: The Age of Agency: Young adulthood, characterized by the drive for independence and self-definition, often as a rebellion against the prior phase. Fixation here leads to a controlling and disconnected individual.

 

• Phase 3: The Age of Balance: Psychological maturity, where one learns to flexibly and dynamically integrate both Agency and Yielding based on context, free from the compulsive reactivity of earlier stages.

 

 

Section 8: Detangling the Psyche: Cultivating Emotional Flexibility

 

The primary therapeutic objective of the CEF is to replace Emotional Rigidity with Emotional Flexibility, a cornerstone of mental health and resilience (Fournet et al., 2023). The core method is a deliberate process of "detangling" the pathologically fused Core Emotions through a multi-stage practice (Manuscript, n.d.):

 

• Intellectual Differentiation: Learning to conceptually distinguish between the fused emotions. For example, a Submissive Perfectionist must learn to see the drive for precision (Constricting) and the need for Accepting (receptive manifestation) as separate functions.
   
• Experiential Isolation: Practicing the activation of each Core Emotion independently through targeted exercises. The individual might engage in a precision-based task while consciously releasing the need for approval, or practice pure receptivity without judgment.
   
• Flexible Re-synthesis: Once liberated from their rigid fusion, the Core Emotions become available for new, adaptive combinations. The individual gains the capacity to consciously synthesize these powers in response to situational demands, which is the hallmark of a resilient psyche.
  
   

Section 9: Conclusion: Toward an Integrated and Authentic Self
 

The Core Emotion Framework offers a comprehensive, architectural model of the human psyche. It provides a structured vocabulary of ten primal capacities that serve as the universal building blocks of personality. It also offers a dynamic model of psychopathology rooted in the transdiagnostic process of Emotional Rigidity and presents a practical path toward psychological health through the cultivation of emotional flexibility and the integration of the universal polarities of Agency and Yielding.

 

The framework's ultimate message is one of empowerment. True self-mastery is not achieved by eliminating undesirable parts of oneself but by understanding the complete architecture of one's psyche, liberating its constituent powers from rigid configurations, and learning to conduct them in a harmonious and authentic symphony of being (Manuscript, n.d.). By transitioning from a state of being driven by unconscious patterns to one of consciously conducting the full orchestra of our Core Emotions, we fulfill our potential by becoming more fully and flexibly ourselves.

 

 

 

PART IV: SUMMARY OF CORE EMOTION FRAMEWORK METHODS

 

The following is a digest of practical exercises and methods proposed by the Core Emotion Framework (CEF, 2024; Manuscript, n.d.).

 

 

Section 10: Foundational Methods

 

• Identification: Learn to identify and differentiate the ten Core Emotions (Sensing, Calculating, Deciding; Expanding, Constricting, Achieving; Arranging, Appreciating, Boosting, Accepting) on a core level.
   
• Mirroring: Use a visual banner or reminder to recalibrate a Core Emotion that feels underdeveloped.
   
• Meditation: Use metaphorical phrases that capture the essence of each Core Emotion to invigorate it, followed by countering messages to release it.
   

 

Section 11: Application and Training Methods

 

• Emotional Utilization Model: Mindfully and separately utilize each Core Emotion in daily activities to enhance emotional clarity.
   
• Shifting: Practice intentionally shifting between different Core Emotions to improve emotional agility.
   
• Targeted Actions: Perform specific physical exercises that correspond to and strengthen each Core Emotion (e.g., opening arms wide for Expanding; clenching fists for Constricting).
   
• Counting: To process and release a strong emotion, identify its intensity on a scale of 0-10, then count up and down to modulate it in a controlled manner.
  
   

Section 12: Advanced Integrative Methods
 

• Emotional Cycling: Use internally imagined energetic movements within the three centers (Head, Heart, Gut) to activate or modulate specific Core Emotions (e.g., a clockwise cycle in the Head Center activates Sensing; a counter-clockwise cycle activates Calculating).
   

• Detangling: The ultimate goal of the other exercises. Detangling is the process of separating pathologically fused Core Emotions so they can function independently and effectively. It involves igniting each emotion individually and then fully releasing it to prevent interference, thereby achieving emotional clarity and mobility.

 

 

 

References

 

1. Bakan, D. (1966). The duality of human existence: Isolation and communion in Western man. Beacon Press.
2. Barrett, L. F. (2017a). How emotions are made: The secret life of the brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
3. Barrett, L. F. (2017b). The theory of constructed emotion: An active inference account of interoception and categorization. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 12(1), 1–23.
4. Core Emotion Framework. (2024). Official Website. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://www.optimizeyourcapabilities.com , https://www.optimizeyourcapabilities.pro and https://www.coreemotionframework.com 
5. Davis, K. L., & Montag, C. (2018). Selected principles of Pankseppian affective neuroscience. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 1025.
6. Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition & Emotion, 6(3-4), 169–200.
7. Fournet, N., et al. (2023). The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience. Brain Sciences, 13(3), 509.
8. The Unprintied Manuscript Preceding the CEF. Please note that we just - Oct. 25 - got hold of this original manuscrapit and extracting the information from it gradually. Prior to this we only knew about the ten core emotions and tried to figure everything else on our own.
9. MY LA Therapy. (2023). Cognitive Rigidity: Causes, Symptoms & How to Overcome. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://mylatherapy.com/cognitive-rigidity-understanding-the-causes-symptoms-effects-and-how-to-build-cognitive-flexibility/
10. Pang, J. S. (2017). Agency, Communion and their relationship in personality research. Advances in Psychological Science, 25(1), 99-112.
11. Panksepp, J. (1998). Affective neuroscience: The foundations of human and animal emotions. Oxford University Press.
12. Optimizeyourcapabilities.com. (2025). The Core Emotion Framework (CEF): A Theoretical Synthesis Integrating Affective Neuroscience, Embodied Cognition, and Strategic Emotional Regulation for Optimized Functioning [Zenodo]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17477547