THE EDGES OF AFFECT: A CONTESTED TERRITORY

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical-clinical reflection on the multiple conceptions of affect and its regulation in contemporary psychology. Such conceptual diversity reflects the plurality of models through which the subject, their psyche, and relational
dynamics have been understood. In this context, theoretical controversies can at times hinder the capacity to address human suffering in the clinical setting, as they lead to territorial disputes over the monopoly of terminology. Approaching affect regulation
today requires embracing a perspective of multiplicity that allows for the integration of different levels of analysis without reducing the phenomenon to any single one of them.