Negative Affects

Distress - Anguish

Uncertainty, knowing instinctively something is wrong or missing, creates distress. The purpose of distress is to call attention to a constant stimulus, to indicate to the self and others that all is not well and that some action is required. 

Distress-Anguish is an affect response to a constant level of stimulus in which the characteristics are crying, rhythmic sobbing, arched eyebrow, mouth down, and tears. Darwin assumed and Tomkins (1963: 5) agreed that the act of crying or crying out is an expression of ‘both bodily pain and mental distress.’

Fear - Terror

The affect range Fear-Terror is recognisable by the characteristic eyes frozen open, fixed stare, pale, cold, sweaty. Along with Distress-Anguish and Anger-Rage it is triggered by overload.

The response to an over abundance of incoming information is a fixed stare at or to one side of the stimulus source, an increasing pulse rate, body hair becoming erect and a pale, cold, sweaty skin.

Tomkins (1991: 495) describes it as a toxic condition and at the top of the range, Terror, is designed to punish rather than to interrupt, as in the case of Startle. Terror frequently follows Startle but it might be followed by Excitement if previous experience and memory recalls that affect

Anger - Rage

The highest density level of stimulation causes the affect anger.

It is expressed by a red face, narrowed eyes and tense facial muscles. Additionally, it is frequently accompanied by deep and rapid breathing, an increase in blood pressure, an open mouth, clenched jaw and a loud cry. If a stimulation source, for example pain, causes initial distress but continues for a prolonged period of time, it may have sufficient density and strength to ultimately activate anger. (Tomkins 1995: 112) Tomkins goes on to argue that the primary function of anger is to make bad matters worse, by amplifying both the stimulus and response. The intensity level will remain high and it may or may not include aggression.

Shame - Humiliation

Tomkins describes Shame-Humiliation as an affect auxiliary because it requires the presence of, and exists with other negative affects such as distress or anger but primarily acts to partially inhibit the positive affects of Interest-Excitement and Enjoyment-Joy.

The classic characteristics are eyes averted and downcast, eyelids lowered, and a loss of tonus in face and neck. Sometimes the whole body can slump or droop. Blushing, another characteristic is a response to shame itself which Tomkins considers is not innate but a reaction to increased self-consciousness.

Dismell

So what's this word dismell? Never heard it before? No, and it will not be found in the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a Tomkins' neologism, his own word for which he apologised (Tomkins 1991: 21). 

If disgust is a word indicating a bad taste, dissmell, Tomkins says, it is his analogue for a bad smell. The facial characteristics are upper lip wrinkled and head pulled back. The body may also withdraw distancing itself from the source of the bad smell. Dissmell is an early warning of noxious substances. Dissmell and disgust may operate independently or together at different intensities. Anyone on the receiving end of the dissmell affect, being treated as if they smell bad, will suffer reduced self-esteem and thus experience shame (Nathanson 1992: 125).

Disgust

Tomkins couples disgust with dissmell as drive auxiliaries as well as having the status of affect. Disgust like dissmell limits the hunger drive.

The lower lip and tongue is lowered and protruded, the head thrust forward and down. It may involve spitting out or vomiting in the extreme and not just as a response to bad tasting food. In the case of divorce or a failed relationship mutual disgust may exist between the parties to the extent that a party is physically sick when thinking about the activities of the other. The rejection of one party by another may be caused by revulsion to their behaviour. The response is disgust, a metaphorical spitting out. As with dissmell the recipient of disgust will suffer reduced self-esteem and experience shame. (Nathanson 1992)