Affective Directional Arc

by Bill Lauritzen

Abstract:
The Affective Directional Arc (ADA) model introduces a novel framework for understanding emotional experiences, presenting a distinct departure from James Russell’s circumplex model of affect. ADA has a distinctive upward-facing semicircular arc-shaped structure, ranging from a highly positive valence to a highly negative valence, with a neutral center. It predicts transitions between various emotions, based on 1) goal achievement or 2) goal frustration, with a natural pull towards homeostasis. The bottom of the upward facing Arc, is conceptualized as a homeostatic state of emotional equilibrium, aligned with notions of peace, serenity, and the Buddhist concept of equanimity. ADA also considers the implications of aging, suggesting that as individuals gain life experience they tend to have less extreme swings, gravitating towards the neutral center. ADA further discusses potential applications in emotion research, clinical practice, and personal “spiritual” growth. By simplifying the understanding of emotional transitions, the model offers valuable insights for clinicians, psychologists, AI researchers and non-professionals seeking to enhance emotional regulation.

Introduction and Background:
Emotions are fundamental to the human experience, influencing cognition, behavior, well-being, and spiritual growth. Researchers have long endeavored to develop models that effectively capture the complexity and diversity of emotional states.

Darwin wrote that there are six basic emotions: happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness. However, some recent research has suggested that disgust is related to anger and surprise is related to fear, leaving only four basic emotions: happiness, fear, anger, and sadness (Jack, 2014).

James Russell’s circumplex model of affect (Russell, 1980) has been influential in this pursuit, proposing a circular arrangement of emotions based on both valence and arousal dimensions. Russell’s model is a useful classification scheme. However, unlike ADA, it does not provide a method of predicting emotional transitions.

Hubbard (1950) suggests that people often transition something like this: from enthusiasm to boredom to hostility to rage to anger to fear to apathy. In a later work (1953) this was modified and expanded: eagerness to exhilaration to strong interest to mild interest to content to indifference to boredom to expressed resentment to anger to unexpressed resentment to fear to grief to apathy to deepest apathy.

The Affective Directional Arc
ADA currently uses 19 emotions: ecstatic, exhilarated, enthusiastic, elated, happy, eager, curious, inquisitive, interested, equanimity (neutral or contented), bored, antagonistic, angry, secretly hostile, resentful, anxious, scared, sad, depressed. ADA represents emotions along a continuum, with highly positive and highly negative valences towards the tops of an arc, and a neutral contended state at the bottom. The model’s structure emphasizes the dynamic nature of emotions, suggesting that individuals transition between different emotional states along an arc according to goal frustration or goal achievement.

Of course, there are many more emotional states than these 19, many possible interactions of these emotions, and there are also many possible interactions with: 1) social emotions (i.e. guilt, pride, embarrassment) and 2) amplitudes of emotions (fear > terrified > petrified) and 3) cultural display rules (i.e. in some, current or previous, cultures “men don’t cry” and “women shouldn’t show anger”). For the sake of simplicity, ADA attempts to only model personal emotion transitions.

The neutral state at the bottom of the arc represents emotional homeostasis. This state is characterized by the absence of strong positive or negative emotions. ADA proposes that this neutral state is associated with notions of contentment, serenity and the Buddhist concept of “enlightenment,” representing a state of inner peace, mental clarity, and emotional balance. The model suggests that individuals tend to gravitate towards this neutral state over time, reflecting the transient nature of strong emotional experiences and the potential for personal growth and wisdom.

The model further proposes that the time-sequence appearance of these emotions in a goal-frustration situation might start with one emotion, then progress to other nearby emotions. In other words, we would not ordinarily immediately jump from happiness to sadness, although that may be possible.

Using a simple example, if I want to get a snack out of a vending machine, I might start in a happy mood, then, upon finding that the machine was not working properly, I might angrily bang or kick the machine. Then, I might fear that I had lost my money, and finally, after confirming this, I might feel sad about it and leave. Later, I might discuss the experience with someone and return to a neutral state upon realizing that it was not worth getting upset about.

Illustrative Example of Affective Transitions:
To demonstrate the dynamic nature of emotional experiences and the gradual transitions between affective states, consider the following illustrative example:

You are on your way to the airport in a taxi, on the expressway. You are going to a conference in which you will give tonight’s keynote dinner speech about your latest research. You are enthusiastic!

You notice a slight increase in traffic as you are traveling, but it is nothing to be concerned about. You have plenty of time. You are happy as you imagine yourself delivering your speech.

However, traffic continues to increase slightly. You become curious about this and you mention it to the taxi driver. “I wonder why the slowdown,” you ask. “Hard to say,” he answers. “There could be an accident up ahead.” He asks you the time of your flight, and you tell him, and he says it should be no problem. You feel contented as you travel along, still thinking about the speech you are going to deliver.

However, it’s a long ride to the airport and you soon get bored thinking about your speech, and you think about other things: your family, the next academic year, etc.

Suddenly, there are many cars ahead in all lanes. The taxi is forced to slow to 15 miles an hour. The cars gleaming in the hot sun, and their exhaust pipes emit noxious fumes. You get a little antagonistic toward the taxi driver.

You say, “I thought you said it would be no problem.”

He’s annoyed too: “Well that’s what I thought.”

You say, “Isn’t there another way around this traffic?”

He says, “No. I’ve tried going around this traffic many times. It always took longer.”

Now traffic is barely moving, and you are very angry.

You yell, “This fucking traffic is a nightmare! I’m moving out of this damn city!”

“Just relax, buddy,” the driver says. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Traffic is still not moving at all. “Shit!” you say quietly to yourself, and now you are scared, for if the traffic continues like this, you will miss your flight, and your keynote address at the dinner.

Your bad luck continues. Traffic on the expressway completely stops! You might as well get out and walk to the airport. You feel like crying. How can this be happening to you? You will never make it to the dinner on time. What have you done to deserve this? Why has the universe turned against you?

No cars move for what seems like a very long time. You check your watch and five minutes have passed with no motion. There’s probably no way now you can make the flight. You sink into a depression, as you think about missing the dinner, and even worse, someone else giving a speech in your place. They will probably even ask your chief rival to give a speech.

[You have gone to an extreme negative valence.]

Suddenly, the taxi jerks forward and starts moving again, although very slowly. You don’t want to get your hopes up, but you sniffle a little, nursing your wounded ego and sit up straighter. The cars ahead of you seem to be moving a bit faster.

You look at your watch. It will be close, but you might get there before the plane leaves if traffic continues to improve. Your hands get sweaty and you gulp. You fearfully watch the traffic up ahead. Traffic is definitely getting faster. You fearfully ask the taxi driver, “Can’t you go around these cars?!”

“Yeah, if I want to get a ticket,” he answers, pointing out the police car one lane over.

However, as you watch, the police car exits the freeway. “He exited!” you shout angrily, “Now Go!” The taxi driver has already speeded up and begun to weave in and out of traffic. You try to direct him when you see an opening, “There! Over there!” you shout with antagonism.

He ignores you. He’s managing better without your suggestions. Eventually you get bored watching him. Traffic is getting faster, and you look at your watch.

“Do you think I can make it in time?” you ask.

“It’s looking better,” he answers.

The taxi rounds a bend in the road, and you both see an accident that has been cleared off the road. Just past the accident the road is clear. The driver steps on the accelerator.

You think happily to yourself, “Yes!” The taxi is speeding along, and you look at your watch. You already have your boarding pass; it looks like you will get there on time. You wonder why you let a little traffic upset you so much.

Up ahead, you see planes landing and taking off, and you begin to feel a surge of enthusiasm. You think to yourself, “They are going to love this speech.”

So, ADA suggests that individuals often navigate directionally along an arc of emotions, with with gradual shifts between adjacent states. Of course, more abrupt jumps between distant emotions are possible, depending on the situational context and individual factors. For example, had the traffic jam cleared up instantly rather than gradually, the person in question might have jumped from depressed back to enthusiastic.

Emotional Interconnections
The interconnecting lines between emotions in the visual representation of the model can signify the simultaneous combinations of two emotions or the transition between two emotions. For example, one may experience a mix of happiness and curiosity or one may transition from happiness to curiosity.

Regarding simultaneous combinations, there are 136 combinations of these 17 emotions taking two at a time. There are 680 combinations of the 17 emotions taking three at a time. If we listed 25 emotions, taking three at a time, we have 2300 possible combinations. These potential emotional interconnections highlight the multifaceted nature of affective experiences and suggest that individuals can navigate through a web of interrelated emotions (Brown, 2021).

Furthermore, the concept of emotional interconnections has implications for emotion regulation and coping strategies. Understanding the interrelated nature of emotions can inform interventions, as when somewhat says they have “mixed emotions” about something. By recognizing the potential for emotional blends, the ability to transition from one emotion to another, and a homeostatic set point for emotions, individuals can perhaps develop more effective strategies for managing their emotional experiences.

Empirical Testing:
The propositions put forth by the model offer opportunities for empirical investigation. Future research can focus on validating the model’s structure and testing its predictions regarding emotional transitions and the gravitational pull towards the neutral state. Empirical studies can employ various methodologies, such as experience sampling, physiological measurements, and neuroimaging techniques, to capture the dynamic nature of emotional experiences in real-time.

For example, researchers could examine the temporal dynamics of emotional transitions by investigating the time course of emotional changes and the factors that influence the speed and trajectory of these transitions; factors such as personality traits, life experiences, and culture.

Empirical studies could also delve into the neural and physiological correlates of emotional states represented in the model. By utilizing neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), researchers could map out the brain regions and networks associated with different emotional states and transitions. These findings could provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of emotional experiences and inform the refinement of the model.

Longitudinal studies could shed light on the developmental trajectories of emotional experiences and the impact of aging on emotional regulation and well-being. By tracking individuals’ emotional experiences over time, researchers can examine how emotional patterns evolve and how individuals navigate the affective arc across different life stages.

The model suggests that with maturity and personal growth, individuals tend to approach the neutral state more frequently, indicating a capacity for maintaining emotional balance and equanimity in the face of life’s challenges.

Spiritual Dimensions:
The model’s conceptualization of the neutral state as a state of serenity, contentment and enlightenment introduces a spiritual dimension to understanding emotional experiences. This perspective aligns with various contemplative traditions that emphasize the cultivation of inner peace, mindfulness, and emotional balance. Adding a spiritual dimension into the model recognizes the profound connection between emotional well-being and personal growth, inviting exploration of the transformative potential of emotional well-being.

Implications and Applications:
ADA has several implications for emotion research, clinical practice, and personal growth. The model’s holistic approach, encompassing spiritual dimensions and the implications of aging, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complexities of emotional experiences. Researchers can utilize the model to investigate the interplay between emotions, spiritual well-being, and the trajectories of emotional development across the lifespan.

In clinical settings, ADA can inform interventions that target emotional regulation, self-awareness, and the cultivation of emotional balance. By recognizing the potential for personal growth and the development of wisdom, the model can inspire individuals to engage in practices that promote emotional well-being and spiritual development.

Machine Empathy

AMA has important implications for AI, game designers, robot designers, in understanding humans.

Although it’s probable that emotions will eventually evolve in machines, at present we could give machines, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google, artificial emotions so that they will be more acceptable to humans and be able to be better agents. In this regard, the science of “emotional mirroring,” based on the discovery of human “mirror neurons” suggests that matching someone’s emotional state can have beneficial therapeutic effects. https://positivepsychology.com/mirror-neurons/

Furthermore, it appears that when a person reveals a vulnerability, “emotional contagion” is more likely. It can create a deep connection if the person listening also reveals a vulnerability. For example, if the human revealed that he had always felt guilty about stealing a book in college from the library, the machine could reveal mistakes it had made, such as once suggesting that someone put glue on pizza to keep the tomato sauce from sliding off. (A real occurrence.)

A robot or machine that could recognized human emotions, could also mirror them. For example, a AI that was programmed to have as a goal state of “verbally interacting with humans,” and whose human was sad, could respond sadly, or with another nearby emotion. The human would more likely interact with the robot, and this could be tested empirically.

Of course there is a danger here. Robots would need “guardrails” to prevent 1) too much anger, etc., and 2) harmful physical action.

Future Work:
Incorporate dimensions for emotional arousal, social emotions, attitudes, sensations and pains by replacing the semi-circle with a bowl-shaped 3D semi-sphere.

Conclusion:
The Affective Directional Arc (ADA) presents a holistic approach to understanding and representing the complex nature of emotional experiences, especially a natural order of transitions. By incorporating these emotional transitions, the spiritual dimension, and the implications of aging, the model offers a comprehensive framework that captures some dynamic and multifaceted aspects of emotions. As research on emotions and well-being continues to evolve, the Affect Directional Arc model provides an initial framework for exploring the interconnectedness of emotional experiences, spiritual growth, and the transformative journey of life.

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