Development and validation of Velten-like image-oriented anxiety and serenity mood inductions

Great interest has been shown in the effects of both naturally occurring and induced affective states on self-perception and judgment. However, mood inductions often underrepresent the construct mood and often contain confounds because inductions do not map onto orthogonal Valence x Arousal dimensions. It also is important that researchers in the area of the effects of affective states devise and use a more diverse array of mood induction techniques. Two studies were conducted in order to develop and validate Velten-like serenity and anxiety mood inductions. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to evaluating the valence or arousal content of self-referent statements designed to represent anxiety and serenity. The 59 statements rated as lowest on valence and highest on arousal were selected as anxiety statements. The 59 statements rated as highest on valence and lowest on arousal were selected as serenity statements. In Study 2, the anxiety and serenity statements were organized so that they became progressively more representative of the mood they were intended to induce. Anxiety and serenity incubation instructions were developed. Participants, in a single group, were randomly assigned to mood induction conditions in a 2 (Valence: Positive vs. Negative) x 2 (Arousal: Active vs. Passive) factorial design. Modified Velten elation and depression inductions served as the active-positive and passive-negative inductions, respectively. The serenity and anxiety inductions served as the passive-positive and active-negative inductions, respectively. Participants read 60 mood-related statements at the rate of 1 per 15 sec and concentrated on experiencing the mood represented by the statements. Participants then read incubation instructions and focused, for 2 min, on events in their own lives that made them feel like the mood represented by the statements. The valence and arousal components of participants' affective states were measured. Results indicated that the anxiety and serenity inductions were effective. Furthermore, the use of the anxiety and serenity inductions, in conjunction with the modified Velten depression and elation inductions affords the opportunity to induce moods mapping onto 2 (Positive vs. Negative) x 2 (Active vs. Passive) orthogonal dimensions. Therapeutic implications, implications in terms of a new tool for research, and methodological considerations are discussed.