Doug NollI'm called in when human dynamics are getting in the way of strategic leadership execution.

7 Layers of Emotions: From Subtle to Intense

13 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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1:04

A seven-layer model of emotions ordered from least to most intense: anger, disrespect, fear, disgust, shame, and sadness. Identifying which layer someone is in takes practice, so write them down and refer back as you learn.

Chapters

The first thing we're going to do is understand that emotions come in 7 layers. So if you got a piece— and I like people to write this out because it— yeah, absolutely. So here are the layers. Well, that's funny. There we go, went the wrong way. Anger, disrespect, sadness. Oh, interesting. Fear. Disgust, shame, sadness. Yeah, there you go. And the man, okay, these are the 7 layers and they, they're ordered from least invasive to most invasive. Labeling you, how deep you go into the layers is going to be a judgment call every single time you do it. So, and that just comes with experience and practice.