Affective Tone: An Overview
In psychology, affective tone refers to the variability in the way emotions and feelings are expressed. Generally, it is the degree to which a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by the affective tone of a given situation or environment. Affective tone can be both positive and negative, and it may be expressed through verbal or nonverbal communication, or even through facial expressions. This article provides an overview of the concept of affective tone and its implications for psychological functioning.
The concept of affective tone has its roots in the early work of William James and Carl Lange, who first proposed the idea of emotion as a “feeling tone” associated with a given situation or environment (Lange, 1885). This idea was later developed by psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud (1915), who proposed that affective tone is a product of an individual’s unconscious processes. In the 1960s and 70s, affective tone was also studied from a social-cognitive perspective, with researchers examining the effect of emotions on an individual’s cognitive processes (e.g. Bower, 1981).
The concept of affective tone has been studied extensively in the field of affective neuroscience, which seeks to understand the neural underpinnings of emotional processing. It has been suggested that affective tone is closely related to the “valence” of an emotion, or the degree to which it is perceived as positive or negative (Kreibig, 2010). For example, research has shown that when individuals experience a positive affective tone, they are more likely to show greater activation of the left prefrontal cortex, suggesting that they are more likely to engage in positive behaviors and cognitive processes (Davidson, Putnam, & Larson, 2000). Similarly, when individuals experience a negative affective tone, they are more likely to show greater activation of the right prefrontal cortex, suggesting that they are more likely to engage in negative behaviors and cognitive processes (Davidson et al., 2000).
The concept of affective tone has important implications for psychological functioning. Research has shown that individuals who experience a positive affective tone are more likely to show greater psychological well-being, including increased life satisfaction, greater self-esteem, and lower levels of depression (Kashdan, Uswatte, & Julian, 2006). Similarly, individuals who experience a negative affective tone are more likely to show increased psychological distress, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (Kashdan et al., 2006).
In conclusion, affective tone is an important concept in psychology, and has implications for psychological functioning. Research has shown that the affective tone of an individual’s environment can have a significant impact on their emotional state and cognitive processes. Future research should continue to examine the implications of affective tone for psychological functioning, and explore ways to promote positive affective tones in order to increase psychological well-being.
References
Bower, G. H. (1981). Mood and memory. American Psychologist, 36(2), 129-148.
Davidson, R. J., Putnam, K. M., & Larson, C. L. (2000). Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation – a possible prelude to violence. Science, 289(5479), 591-594.
Freud, S. (1915). Instincts and their vicissitudes. In J. Strachey (Ed.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 109-140). London: Hogarth Press.
Kashdan, T. B., Uswatte, G., & Julian, T. (2006). Gratitude and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in Vietnam war veterans. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44(12), 177-199.
Kreibig, S. D. (2010). Autonomic nervous system activity in emotion: A review. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 394-421.
Lange, C. G. (1885). The emotions. In W. James (Ed.), The principles of psychology (Vol. I, pp. 597-685). New York: Henry Holt.