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We examined the stress patterns of individuals with cyclothymia, intermittent depression, and no affective disorder in a nonclinical sample. In a conceptual replication and extension of Goplerud and Depue (1985), participants completed a standardized measure of hassles and ratings of their most pleasant and unpleasant experiences each day for 28 days. Individuals with cyclothymia reported a higher number of daily stressors than either normal controls or individuals with intermittent depression. Individuals in both affective groups rated daily hassles as more stressful than controls. They also rated their most unpleasant daily experiences more negatively; however, objective ratings of unpleasant experiences did not corroborate these subjective impressions. The results are discussed in terms of possible cognitive diatheses and stress-generation mechanisms that may contribute to the chronicity of subsyndromal disorders and the development of major affective disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]