The United States Constitution has been a notable model for governance around the world. Its international influence is found in similarities of phrasing and borrowed passages in other constitutions, as well as in the principles of the rule of law, separation of powers and recognition of individual rights.
flat afÂ·fect. 1  absence of or diminution in the amount of emotional tone or outward emotional reaction typically shown by oneself or others under similar circumstances; a milder form is termed blunted affect.
Flat affect, which is also called blunted affect, is one of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A person with negative symptoms lacks a normal range of feelings and behaviors. The word affect means one's emotional state. To have a flat, or blunt affect means that a person appears to lack any emotion at all.