Kent Beck is a computer scientist and author. In his post, he takes a more personal turn. His “code book” for emotions is insightful.

This list reminds me of the importance of listening to our own emotions–complex signals of inner state (inner facts) that carry great significance if we’re to gain deeper insight into our motivations, and then go on to improve our world and the world in general.

Identifying our feelings can sometimes be a challenge in itself, but interpreting them is also a skill and depends on wisdom and knowledge. I’m not sure there is a perfect interpretation of each emotion, but I appreciate and learn from others (like Kent Beck) who attempt to simplify these feelings into clearer meanings:

• Fear—a call to focus. I need to increase a priority & let go of other things.
• Anger—a call to establish & enforce my boundaries.
• Anxiety—a call to pay attention to something I am ignoring.
• Flashbacks—a call to deal with my past trauma.
• Confusion—a call to step back & re-establish my intentions. For me this often takes the form of asking what I would do if I was serving my mission to help geeks feel safe in the world.
• Envy—a call to safeguard my social standing.
• Jealousy—a call to safeguard (or let go of) an important relationship.
• Hatred—a call to accept something about myself I don’t like.
• Boredom—a call to do something I am avoiding.
• Apathy—a call to accept that I am stuck.
• Guilt—a call to change.
• Shame—a call to accept myself & then change.
• Terror—a call to freeze in the face of fear (rather than run or attack).
• Sadness—a call to release something I’m attached to.
• Despair—a stronger form of sadness. I really need to release something I’m attached to.
• Grief—a call to honor loss.
• Depression—a call to understand deeply.
• Suicidal thoughts—a call to change. (I hesitated to include this. If this is you, get help. I’ve read too many “logical” geek suicide notes. My suicidal thoughts diminished when I learned to interpret them as saying, “I really don’t want to be in this situation.”)