Parsing positive emotion in relation to agentic and affiliative components of extraversion

Extraversion is comprised of agentic and affiliative components, which are characterized by distinct positive emotional states of positive activation and warmth-affection, respectively. This study examined these positive emotions using the International Affective Picture System, a standardized set of pictures used to induce emotion. Compared to response to neutral pictures, the following target emotions were induced: (1) affiliative pictures induced warmth-affection and pleasantness, (2) agentic pictures induced positive activation, pleasantness, and arousal, (3) high arousal nonagentic pictures induced pleasantness and arousal, and (4) low arousal nonaffiliative pictures induced pleasantness. As previously demonstrated (Morrone, J. V., Depue, R. A., Scherer, A. J., & White, T. L. (2000). Film-induced incentive motivation and positive activation in relation to agentic and affiliative components of extraversion. Personality and Individual Differences, 29(2), 199–216; Morrone-Strupinsky, J. V. & Depue, R. A. (2004). Differential relation of two distinct, film-induced positive emotional states to affiliative and agentic extraversion. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(5), 1109–1126), agentic picture-induced positive affective ratings were significantly related to a trait measure of social potency, but not to other extraversion scales. The results support a multicomponent conceptualization of the extraversion trait, where agentic and affiliative components are associated with distinctive positive emotional experience.