In psychiatric assessment, affect refers to:

• A. Subjective mood state reported by the patient
• B. Observable expression of mood
• C. Cognitive function
• D. Motivation

Answer: (B)

Affect is the observable expression of emotion—the outward display you can see in a person’s facial expression, voice tone, posture, and gestures. It reflects how they are feeling outwardly and is assessed during the mental status exam for its range (full, restricted, blunted, flat), quality, and whether it is congruent with what they say about their mood. This differs from mood, which is the internal, subjective feeling the patient reports. For example, someone might describe feeling sad, yet present with a broad, animated affect—an incongruence that can be clinically meaningful. Motivation and cognitive function are separate domains—affect focuses on emotional expression, not drive or thought processes.