The affect system is indeed part of our evolutionary heritage. And it is a vital piece of information to know that nothing becomes conscious unless it first triggers an affect. Affect is, therefore, being triggered almost continually while we are awake. In some scenes the affect is very intense, but in many the affect is very mild. Magnification operates through memory, thought, and imagination causing prior scenes to be coassembled with scenes currently experienced and scenes anticipated in the future and new affect to these scenes is now triggered.
Every system ever used has some sort of organizing principle to explain how humans produce meaning.
Thus, it is difficult for me to disagree with your conceptualization. But I believe there are very great differences in the systems you are trying to correlate and that one must be careful not to overlook those differences. The affect system is always operative during any kind of cognitive activity, guiding and directing that activity. He presents another strong body of evidence supporting the idea that one is very mistaken to view cognition as being disconnected from affect. Pure reason, it becomes clear, is unreasonable if neurologically disconnected from affect.