An affective reaction is the physical and emotional reaction that a person has to a situation. This can be a reaction of happiness and pride in winning a competition, the shock and sorrow of receiving bad news, witnessing a tragedy or any other appropriate reaction to events. In the world you sometimes meet people whose reactions are flat, non-existent, or completely inappropriate. This is called inappropriate affect. You will also meet people whose reactions are excessive. These are people who are probably in need of some sort of professional intervention.