Psychology of Sport and Exercise 1 (2000) 103–116 www.elsevier.com/locate/psychsport Normative and idiosyncratic measures of positive and negative affect in sport Claudio Robazza a,* , Laura Bortoli a , Filippo Nocini b , Giovanna Moser b , Carlo Arslan b a Facolta ` di Medicina e Chirurgia, Scienze Motorie, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy b Facolta ` di Psicologia, University of Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy Received 7 July 1999; received in revised form 15 February 2000; accepted 20 March 2000 Abstract Objectives: The purposes of the study were to: (a) ascertain the degree of similarity amongst normative and idiosyncratic measures of affect; (b) test the notion of reversal effects on the functional impact and the hedonic tone of emotions; (c) analyse the differences on the intensity of facilitating-positive, facilitating- negative, inhibiting-positive, and inhibiting-negative performance emotion content categories, and (d) test whether competitive trait anxiety intensity could predict pre-performance normative or idiosyncratic nega- tive affect intensity. Design: A cross-sectional study design was employed using normative and idiosyncratic measures of affect. Methods: Experienced male soccer and volleyball players (N =124) were individually assessed. Norma- tive scales were the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) used as a sport-specific trait measure of competitive affect, and the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS) administered for the assessment of competitive trait anxiety. Idiosyncratic affect occurring prior to or during optimal and poor competitions was identified in the conceptual framework of the Hanin’s Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model (Hanin, Y.L. (1997). Emotions and athletic performance: Individual zones of optimal functioning model. European Yearbook of Sport Psychology, 1, 29–72). Results: Findings revealed low overlap amongst the PANAS items and the idiosyncratic items, reversal effects on the functional impact and the hedonic tone of emotions, higher level of positive affect associated with optimal performance when compared with all other affect categories, and lower levels of facilitating- negative category when compared with the facilitating-positive. Moreover, sport trait anxiety intensity was found to predict negative affect intensity as assessed by the PANAS normative scales and by the idiosyn- cratic items. For idiosyncratic affect, however, significant differences emerged only when comparing indi- viduals with very high or very low anxiety symptoms. * Corresponding author. Tel.: + 39-422-959718; Fax: + 39-422-959718. E-mail address: robazza@antenore.com (C. Robazza). 1469-0292/00/$ - see front matter  2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S1469-0292(00)00007-8