Special Section: Rezoning Pleasure

Abstract

Much contemporary psychological and psychoanalytic research embraces affects but deletes drives. Tomkins made specific place for both affects and drives in his theory, suggesting that much of interest arose from their conflict and co-assembly. This article explores why drives have been dismissed, and argues for their explanatory usefulness in an embodied science of personality. Possible advantages of Tomkins' affect theory over Freud's are discussed as a prelude to assembling (via Westen) a lean, mean, motivational model of personality development. The model combines a view of drives consonant with contemporary evidence and representative of the early Freud with a differential affect theory indebted to Silvan Tomkins. Applications of the model are explored using as case studies personality research on psychopathy and the role of shame in narcissism. The model explores the way that signature personality profiles emerge as developmental pathways are opened or closed due to affective idiosyncrasy.