Affect (psychology)

<p>Affect, in <a href="/facts/Psychology/duoqW7Sz">psychology</a>, is the underlying experience of <a href="/facts/Feeling/RJgeFMo1">feeling</a>, <a href="/facts/Emotion/kvAr22wa">emotion</a>, <a href="/facts/Attachment_theory/8jpCPkWH">attachment</a>, or <a href="/facts/Mood_(psychology)/mnozVozL">mood</a>. It encompasses a wide range of emotional states and can be positive (e.g., happiness, joy, excitement) or negative (e.g., sadness, anger, fear, disgust). Affect is a fundamental aspect of human experience and plays a central role in many psychological theories and studies. It can be understood as a combination of three components: emotion, mood (enduring, less intense emotional states that are not necessarily tied to a specific event), and affectivity (an individual's overall disposition or <a href="/facts/Temperament/rl62VbDT">temperament</a>, which can be characterized as having a generally positive or negative affect). In psychology, the term <i>affect</i> is often used interchangeably with several related terms and concepts, though each term may have slightly different nuances. These terms encompass: emotion, feeling, mood, emotional state, sentiment, affective state, emotional response, affective reactivity, and <a href="/facts/Disposition/GBeJAYMk">disposition</a>. Researchers and psychologists may employ specific terms based on their focus and the context of their work.
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Affect (psychology) open-in-new

Affect (psychology)