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The two general activation systems of affect: Structural findings, evolutionary considerations, and psychobiological evidence (1999)
| Venue: | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |
| Citations: | 250 - 3 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Watson99thetwo,
author = {David Watson and David Wiese and Jatin Vaidya and Auke Tellegen},
title = {The two general activation systems of affect: Structural findings, evolutionary considerations, and psychobiological evidence},
journal = {Journal of Personality and Social Psychology},
year = {1999},
pages = {820--838}
}
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Abstract
D. Watson and A. Tellegen (19X5') proposed a "consensual " structure of affect based on J. A. Russell's (1980) circumplcx. The authors " review of the literature indicates that this 2-factor model captures robust structural properties of self-rated mood. Nevertheless, the evidence also indicates that the circumplcx does not fit the data closely and needs to be refined. Most notably, the model's dimensions are not entirely independent: moreover, with the exception of Pleasantness—Unpleasantness, they are not completely bipolar. More generally, the data suggest a model that falls somewhere between classic simple structure and a true circumplex. The authors then examine two of the dimensions imbedded in this structure, which they label Negative Activation (NA) and Positive Activation (PA). The authors argue that PA and NA represent the subjective components of broader biobchavioral systems of approach and withdrawal, respectively. The authors conclude by demonstrating how this framework helps to clarify various affect-related phenomena, including circadian rhythms, sleep, and the mood disorders. On the basis of a review and reanalysis of the existing data, Watson and Tellegen (1985) concluded that "a basic twodimensional structure of affect emerges across a number of different lines of research and a very large number of analyses " (p. 234).
Keyphrases
general activation system psychobiological evidence evolutionary consideration structural finding positive activation mood disorder self-rated mood negative activation various affect-related phenomenon circadian rhythm basic twodimensional structure biobchavioral system different line true circumplex large number classic simple structure consensual structure subjective component affect emerges pleasantness unpleasantness
