AFFECT, EMOTIONAL DISORDER, AND FUTURE-DIRECTED THINKING

Affect, it has been argued, can be divided into two higher order dimen sions of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) (Watson, L.A. C lark, & Tellegen, 1988). This framework has been used to provide an an alysis of depression and anxiety, and has also been integrated with th e account of aversive and appetitive motivational systems outlined by Gray (1987) and others (L.A. Clark, Watson, & Mineka, 1994). The prese nt studies represent an attempt to extend this framework to include pa tterns of future-directed thinking. Two studies are reported in which a sample of students completed measures of PA and NA, depression and a nxiety, hopelessness and worry, and positive and negative expectancies . Factor analysis revealed two clear factors. The first factor had loa dings from NA, anxiety, worry, negative expectancies, and depression; the smaller second factor had loadings from PA and positive expectanci es, and negative loadings from hopelessness acid depression. The resul ts support the existence of two basic cognitive-affective systems that also span biological, behavioural, and motivational levels.