Categories of Positive Affect

Abstract

As explained in Chapter Four during the presentation of the elaborated theoretical model of enrichment, the resources accrued in work and family roles could either produce non-facilitative affect, facilitative affect, or, in some cases, no identifiable positive affect. To re-iterate, non-facilitative affect implies that while a resource experienced by a participant in Role A may produce a particular positive affect, the affect itself is not implicated in the improved performance in Role B; rather, the transfer of the resource itself is responsible for their improved performance (recall the Instrumental Pathway). Facilitative affect implies that the resource experienced by a participant in Role A produces positive affect that is implicated in their improved performance in Role B (recall the Affective and Mixed Pathways). The simplest way to describe the difference between facilitative and non-facilitative positive affect is to equate non-facilitative affect with “feeling” and facilitative affect with “doing”. In this sense, facilitative affect is a catalyst; when facilitative affect is generated due to a resource accrued in Role A, it propels the individual to do something in Role B that results in improved performance in Role B. In contrast, non-facilitative affect is merely a feeling, mood state or sentiment generated due to a resource in Role A that does not affect performance in Role B. This chapter will present the various categories of non-facilitative and facilitative affect respectively, with corresponding participant quotes to illustrate the constructs.