Action, Affect, and Two-Mode Models of Functioning

Abstract This chapter examines several aspects of the management of action and affect. Starting with the idea that behavior reflects the processes of feedback control, it proposes that two layers of control manage two different aspects of behavior. These two layers operate together in a way that conserves resources and permits people to handle multiple tasks across time. Thus, simultaneous motives that bear on many different goals are transformed into a stream of actions that shifts repeatedly from one goal to another.