AFFECTS SEPARABLE AND INSEPARABLE - ON THE HIERARCHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE NEGATIVE AFFECTS

Watson and Tellegen (1985) proposed a hierarchical model of self-rated affect in which 2 broad, general dimensions-Negative Affect and Positive Affect-are each composed of several correlated yet ultimately distinguishable emotions. As a partial test of this model, we conducted 4 studies examining relations among measures of fear, sadness, hostility, and guilt through a series of multitrait-multimethod matrixes. Consistent with a hierarchical model, all 4 negative affects showed significant convergent validity and adequate discriminant validity, indicating that they represent meaningful and differentiable psychological constructs. However, the measures were also consistently and substantially interrelated, thereby demonstrating the existence of a strong higher order Negative Affect factor in self-report data. Results demonstrate the importance of assessing both levels of the hierarchical structure in studies of self-rated affect.