Cited by 974Emotions and Moral BehaviorMental Health Research TopicsEmotion and Mood Recognition

The Structure of Current Affect: Controversies and Emerging Consensus

Barrett, Lisa Feldman, Russell, James A.·1999·Current Directions in Psychological Science

Abstract

For some years now, emotion researchers have debated a series of issues related to the structure of consciously experienced affective states. The present article reviews evidence that current affective experience can be summarized by a structure that is anchored by two bipolar but independent dimensions of experience, pleasure and activation. Four issues have presented themselves as central to the nature of this structure: the number of dimensions necessary to describe the space, the bipolarity of the dimensions, whether the structure displays a circumplex shape, and the definition of the activation dimension. Points of consensus and the remaining controversies regarding each issue are presented.

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Crossref · 10.1111/1467-8721.00003

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  • The properties of affect-valence and arousal-are basic features of consciousness and are not unique to instances of emotion.

    “the properties of affect—valence and arousal (Barrett and Russell, 1999; Kuppens et al., 2013)—are basic features of consciousness (Damasio, 1999; Dreyfus and Thompson, 2007; Edelman and Tononi, 2000; James, 1890/2007; Searle, 1992, 2004; Wundt, 1897) that, importantly, are not unique to instances of emotion.”

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Authors
Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A.
Affiliations
  • Boston College (US)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
Corresponding author
  • Barrett, Lisa Feldman
  • Russell, James A.
Venue
Current Directions in Psychological Science
Published
1999-02
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
10-14
ISSN
  • 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8721
OpenAlex
W2135394513
Cited by
974
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 81 · 2023: 49 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 61 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 32
FWCI
14.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Emotion and Mood Recognition
Keywords
emotional experience, pleasure, activation, circumplex model, affective domain

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