OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF ACQUIRED MOTIVATION

a theory wherein a stimulant or occurrence excites a primary affective state, that might be enjoyable or not enjoyable and an opponent affective state, that functions to lessen the magnitude of the primary state, both at the same time. These two cases combined make up emotional experience. In accordance with this theory, the opponent condition has an extensive latency, a sluggish course of acceleration, and a sluggish course of decomposition following the originating stimulant's elimination. All of this leads to its domination for a time subsequent to elimination of the stimulant.