The language we use is often imprecise, especially when it comes to describing and naming emotions. We frequently say we are angry when we may actually be feeling a milder emotion such as annoyance or a stronger emotion such as rage, or even a combination of emotions.
When engaging online, an environment that’s exciting and intense and often unforgiving, it’s important to know what our emotional triggers are and to accurately recognize when we’re starting to feel emotions that tend to set them off, especially negative ones. This recognition alone can help us decide whether our feelings make sense in a particular situation, or whether our feelings and corresponding reactions are more intense than warranted.
So what is the difference between annoyance and anger, or anger and rage, for example? Read below.
- Annoyance: Feeling irritation or displeasure
- Frustration: A deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs
- Anger: A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility
- Hostility: Expressed enmity or antagonism
- Aggression: Behaving in actively hostile fashion
- Rage: Violent uncontrollable anger
(Image of Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions via Wikipedia)
