Affect

Our topic for the next few readings is about the theory of "affect".
To begin, I'll note that this term is used in various ways, and that the dictionary will probably not help much! In standard English, "affect" is usually a verb. But in the theory we're reading it is a noun: an affect, the affects. Don't confuse this with "effect" though. "Effect" is indeed a noun in standard English, but it is a different noun for something that resulted from a cause. Instead, as we will see later, an affect can itself be a cause.

In psychology, affect refers to the expression of emotions, rather than to a person's feelings. This is because in some conditions, the emotional expression doesn't match the feelings: e.g., frowning when you feel happy. Or, smiling when you feel angry. Notice that the individual subjectivity is not the affect, but rather a kind of unconscious expression is the affect.

In contemporary theory, affect is something like that. Notice the detachment from personal, individual conscious feelings. But let's go a step further: affects are pre-individual (like many little parts of you that you might not consciously control) yet also trans-individual (they are able to influence other people and spread or communicate or they might originate outside of individuals, such as in music). Affects affect us, but often without our conscious will, perhaps without our awareness.

Here's a French & English translation:

Feeling (English) = Sentiment (French)
Affect = L'affect

As you read, you'll soon discover a lot of implications and complications about this term. To begin it is useful to note that Deleuze defines art as creating percepts and affects.