Tell me how you feel and I will tell you who you are: First validation of the affect integration
inventory
Sammanfattning
Affect integration, or the capacity to utilize affects for personal adjustment, is an essential aspect
of psychological functioning. Affect integration has been operationalized through the affect
consciousness construct as degrees of awareness, tolerance, nonverbal expression, and conceptual
expression of nine discrete affects. It is measured by the Affect Consciousness Interview (ACI). The
ACI, however, is time-consuming and demands extensive training. It is therefore a priority to develop
a self-rated measure of affect integration that is more readily accessible. This study explored the
validity of the Affect Integration Inventory (AII), a self-rated operationalization of affect integration,
through estimates of internal consistency and internal structure. External validity was addressed by
examining relationships between AII scores and emotion regulation, alexithymia, psychiatric
symptoms, and interpersonal problems. We found satisfactory reliability, sound internal structure,
and associations with external criteria, indicating good convergent and discriminant validity. Such
findings included distinct relationships between AII ratings and specific types of interpersonal
problems.