Affect–Cognition Relationships in Adolescent Diaries: The Case of Anne Frank

The adolescent diary of Anne Frank was examined for evidence of changes in emotional expression (measured by density of categories of emotion), in cognitive level, and in the relation between the two. Increases in emotional density lasting for several days preceded major shifts in cognitive level from an absence of abstract reasoning to absolute, absolute/relativistic, relativistic, and emerging dialectical reasoning. The emotional peaks were associated with normative issues such as autonomy from parents, menarche, and peer relations. In contrast to the results of short-term studies that claim to show that emotion has no role or an oppositional role in cognitive development, results of this psychobiographical study suggest that passion precedes and may facilitate the development of abstract thought during the adolescent period.