Carver, C. S. (2001). Affect and the functional bases of behavior: On the dimensional structure of affective experience. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 345-356.
Discussions of the dimensional structure of affect usually are based
on results of factor analyses. Disagreements focus largely on issues of
measurement and measurement error. I argue that the structure of
affect is not discussed meaningfully without considering functional
implications
of affects. A functional analysis is outlined in which approach
and
incentive-related affects (both positive and negative) are managed by
one
self-regulatory system, and avoidance and threat-related affects
(positive
and negative) are managed by another self-regulatory system. In both
cases
positive and negative affects are posited to convey information about
whether
the behavior being engaged in is going well or poorly. This view
argues for the existence of two bipolar affective dimensions, the
properties
of which are informed by an understanding of both behavior and
feelings.
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