The affect system: Architecture and operating characteristics

The affect system refers to functional components involved in appetitive an d aversive information processing We review evidence suggestive affect is n ot a unitary faculty but rather is composed of number of distinct processes . Physical limitations constrain behavioral expressions and incline behavio ral predispositions toward a bipolar (good-bad, approach-withdraw) organiza tion, but this organization appears to be the consequence of multiple opera tions including the activation of positivity (appetition) and activation of negativity (aversion), at earlier affective-processing stages. The partial segregation of positive and negative affective processing afforded evoluti on the opportunity to sculpt distinctive activation functions for these aff ective components and allows their coactivation. Coactivation, in:turn, cul tivates the exploration of novel environments and the pursuit of seemingly hospitable events while fostering vigilance for and rapid retreats from hos tile developments.