Organizational Behavior, 17e

What Are Emotions and Moods?

1. 1 Differentiate between emotions and moods.

In our analysis, we’ll need three terms that are closely intertwined: affect, emotions, and moods. Affect is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings, including both emotions and moods.1 Emotions are intense feelings directed at someone or something.2 Moods are less intense feelings than emotions and often arise without a specific event acting as a stimulus.3 Exhibit 4-1 shows the relationships among affect, emotions, and moods.

First, as the exhibit shows, affect is a broad term that encompasses emotions and moods. Second, there are differences between emotions and moods. Emotions are more likely to be caused by a specific event and are more fleeting than moods. ...