ABSTRACT
Both psychoanalysis and psychology, with all their differences in perspective and theoretical framework, are at present strongly concerned with the concept and phenomenon of affect. One can simply say that the crucial importance of affects is being recognized in both disciplines. Many factors have contributed to the present situation, in which the broadest and strongest interface between psychoanalysis and psychology is obviously the domain of affects. There are writers in psychology who have expressed recognition of the fact that psychoanalytic theory has inspired both research and theory construction in psychology and theoretical thinking in psychosomatic medicine. The most serious attempts in the direction of assimilating psychological knowledge into psychoanalytic thinking are apparently being made at present in the area of infant research and theorizing. Thus, psychology is trying at present to tackle the difficult problem of the subjective and personal element, so central in emotions, through seeing emotion as a cognitive, appraising event.
