The affective realm

A major difficulty in understanding emotions is the confusion concerning the differences between emotions and related affective phenomena such as feelings, moods, affective disorders, sentiments, and affective traits. In light of such confusion, in many disputes concerning affective phenomena each side is actually referring to a different set of phenomena. This paper clarifies the differences between the various phenomena and thereby supplies a novel systematic description of the affective realm. The suggested classification is not arbitrary: it is done in light of the two basic characteristics of affective phenomena: the intentional nature of the evaluative stand, and the occurrent or dispositional nature of the feeling dimension. These characteristics express the two basic mental dimensions of intentionality and feeling. The suggested classification has significant implications for understanding emotions and other related phenomena.