Affect

Affect is a short-term but extremely intense emotional state accompanied by significant changes in mental activity and behavior. During affect, a person’s ability to consciously control actions decreases, and behavior may become impulsive and unpredictable. Affect usually appears as a reaction to severe stress, fear, anger, or emotional shock.
Affect is widely studied in psychology and psychiatry because it influences cognition, memory, decision-making, and interpersonal behavior. In psychiatry, disturbances of affect may indicate mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or other mental health conditions. In legal psychology, affective states are considered when evaluating criminal responsibility and emotional reactions during stressful situations.

Sources:

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://dictionary.apa.org/affect.

Feldman Barrett, L., & Bliss‐Moreau, E. (2009). Chapter 4 Affect as a psychological primitive. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 41, p. 167–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(08)00404-8.

Gündem, D., Potočnik, J., De Winter, F., Kaddouri, A. E., Stam, D., Peeters, R., Emsell, L., Sunaert, S., Van Oudenhove, L., Vandenbulcke, M., Barrett, L. F., & Van Den Stock, J. (2022). The neurobiological basis of affect is consistent with psychological