Ambivalence

In modern psychology and psychoanalysis there is a term ambivalence to denote the dual and even mutually exclusive nature of feelings experienced by a person at the same time for the same reason.

In the first decades of the 20th century, the definition of ambivalence in a narrower sense was used in psychiatry to designate the dominant symptom of schizophrenia – unmotivated contradictory behavior. And the authorship of this term, as well as the name “schizophrenia”, belongs to the Swiss psychiatrist E. Bleuler.

Later, thanks to his student K. Jung, who – in contrast to S. Freud – sought to prove the unity of the conscious and the unconscious and their compensatory balancing in the “mechanism” of the psyche, ambivalence began to be understood more broadly. But now ambivalence is called the emergence and coexistence in the human consciousness and subconscious of diametrically opposed (often conflicting) feelings, ideas, desires or intentions in relation to the same object or subject.

As experts note, ambivalence is a very common subclinical condition. Moreover, given the original dual nature of the psyche (that is, the presence of the conscious and the subconscious), situational ambivalence is inherent in almost everyone, because it is not for nothing that in cases requiring choice and decisive action, we talk about confusion of feelings, bewilderment and confusion of thoughts in the head. We are constantly in an internal conflict, and moments when a feeling of internal harmony or unity of purpose arises are relatively rare (and can be illusory).

The most striking examples of ambivalence occur when there are conflicts between moral values, ideas, or feelings, particularly between what we are aware of and what is outside our awareness (the “gnawing worm of doubt” or the “whispering voice of the inner voice”). Many thoughts come and go, but some get stuck in the subconscious, where a whole pantheon of buried values, preferences, hidden motives (good and bad), likes and dislikes exists. As Freud said, this jumble of impulses in the back of our brain is what makes us want and not want something at the same time.

By the way, it was Freud who formulated the principle of ambivalence, the meaning of which is that all human emotions initially have a dual character, and if sympathy and love win on the conscious level, then antipathy and hatred do not disappear, but hide in the depths of the subconscious. In "appropriate cases" they rise from there, leading to inadequate reactions and unpredictable human actions.

But keep in mind: when the “impulse hodgepodge” occurs constantly, there is a symptom that may indicate prolonged depression, a neurotic state, or the development of an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

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Causes ambivalences

Today, the main causes of ambivalence are associated with the inability to make a choice (existentialist philosophers focus on the problem of choice) and make decisions. Health, well-being, relationships and social status of an individual largely depend on making informed decisions; a person who avoids making decisions faces internal psycho-emotional conflicts that form ambivalence.

It is believed that ambivalence is often the result of conflicting social values related to differences in culture, race, ethnicity, origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and health status. Social constructs and perceived norms and values within a given society shape the conflicting feelings of many people.

But most psychologists see the causes of ambivalence in people's lack of confidence, their subconscious fear of making a mistake and failing, and emotional and intellectual immaturity.

It is also worth remembering that the emergence of any feelings, ideas, desires or intentions does not always follow logic. Intuition and that very “inner voice” that is difficult to muffle play an important role.

Research has revealed some neurobiological features of the mediation of signals associated with the expression of emotions: in healthy people experiencing positive feelings, the structures of the left hemisphere of the brain are more active, and if the emotions are negative, the right hemisphere is more active. That is, from the point of view of neurophysiology, people are capable of experiencing positive and negative affective states simultaneously.

MRI studies of brain activity have demonstrated the involvement of cognitive and social-affective brain regions (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, insula, temporal lobes, temporoparietal junction) in decision-making ambivalence. But these regions are differentially associated with subsequent processes, so it remains to be seen where the neural correlates of the affective components of ambivalence lie.

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Forms

In the theory of psychology and the practice of psychotherapy, it is customary to distinguish certain types of ambivalence, depending on the areas of interaction between individuals in which they are most evident.

Ambivalence of feelings or emotional ambivalence is characterized by a dual attitude towards the same subject or object, that is, the presence of simultaneously arising but incompatible feelings: favor and hostility, love and hate, acceptance and rejection. Since most often such internal bipolarity of perception is the basis of human experiences, this type can be defined as ambivalence of experiences or amblyothymia.

As a result, so-called ambivalence in relationships may arise: when someone around constantly causes opposite emotions in a person at a subconscious level. And when a person really has duality in relationships, he cannot get rid of subconscious negativity, worrying even at those moments when their partner does something good. Most often, this causes uncertainty and instability in partnerships, and is due to the fact that the polarity of feelings, as mentioned above, exists initially and can provoke an intrapersonal conflict. It is expressed in the internal struggle of “yes” and “no”, “want” and “don’t want”. The degree of awareness of this struggle affects the level of conflict between people, that is, when a person is not aware of his state, he cannot restrain himself in conflict situations.

Western psychotherapists have a concept called a chronic ambivalence pattern: when a feeling of helplessness and a desire to suppress deep-seated negativity forces a person to take a defensive position, depriving him not only of the feeling of control over his life, but also of his usual mental balance (leading to hysteria or a state of depressive neurasthenia).

Children may develop ambivalence in attachment, combining love for parents with fears of not receiving their approval. Read more below – in a separate section, Ambivalence in Attachment.

The condition in which a person simultaneously experiences opposing thoughts, and opposing concepts and beliefs coexist in the consciousness, is defined as ambivalence of thinking. Such duality is usually considered to be the result of pathology in the formation of the ability to abstract thinking (dichotomy) and a sign of mental deviation (in particular, paranoia or schizophrenia).

Ambivalence of consciousness (subjective or affective-cognitive) is also attributed to altered mental states with a focus on discrepancies between a person's own beliefs and confrontation between assessments of what is happening (judgments and personal experience) and objectively existing realities (or their generally known assessments). This cognitive disorder is present in psychoses and obsessive states accompanied by delirium, unaccountable anxiety and fear.

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Ambivalence in attachment

In childhood, ambivalence in attachment (anxious-ambivalent attachment) can develop if the parents' attitude towards their children is contradictory and unpredictable, there is a lack of warmth and trust. The child does not receive enough affection and attention, that is, he is brought up according to strict rules - in conditions of constant "emotional hunger". Psychologists claim that the child's temperament, the parents' relationship with each other, and the level of support for all generations of the family play an important role in the formation of this type of ambivalence.

Many parents mistakenly perceive their desire to win the child's love with actual love and concern for his well-being: they may be overprotective of the child, focused on his appearance and academic performance, and unceremoniously invade his personal space. Growing up, people who had ambivalence in attachment in childhood are characterized by increased self-criticism and low self-esteem; they are anxious and distrustful, seek approval from others, but this never rids them of self-doubt. And in their relationships, there is excessive dependence on the partner and constant concern that they may be rejected. On the basis of constant self-control and reflections on one's attitude towards others, perfectionism and compulsive behavior (as a means of self-affirmation) may develop.

Ambivalent attachment disorder in childhood can become the basis for the development of such an unsafe mental disorder as reactive attachment disorder (ICD-10 code - F94.1, F94.2), the formulation obsessive ambivalence in this case is clinically incorrect.

Pathological ambivalence in the form of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) concerns social interaction and may take the form of disturbances in initiating or responding to most interpersonal contacts. The causes of the disorder are inattention and harsh treatment of a child from six months to three years of age by adults or frequent changes of caregivers.

At the same time, inhibited and disinhibited forms of mental pathology are noted. So, it is the disinhibited form that can lead to the fact that grown-up children with RAD try to get attention and comfort from any adults, even complete strangers, which makes them easy prey for perverts and criminals.

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Examples of ambivalence

Many sources, citing Z. Freud, give an example of ambivalence of feelings from the tragedy of W. Shakespeare. This is Othello's great love for Desdemona and the burning hatred that gripped him because of the suspicion of adultery. Everyone knows how the story of the Venetian jealous man ended.

We see examples of ambivalence in real life when people who abuse alcohol understand that drinking is harmful, but they are unable to take steps to give up alcohol once and for all. From the standpoint of psychotherapy, such a state can be qualified as an ambivalent attitude towards sobriety.

Or here's an example. A person wants to quit a job he hates, but for which he pays well. This is a difficult question for anyone, but for people suffering from ambivalence, constant reflection on this dilemma, paralyzing doubt and suffering will almost certainly drive them into depression or cause a state of neurosis.

Intellectual ambivalence refers to the inability or unwillingness to give a clear answer and form a definite conclusion – due to the lack of a logical or practical justification for a certain position. The main problem with intellectual ambivalence is that it (according to the theory of cognitive dissonance) is a prerequisite for the lack of a clear direction or orientation for action. This uncertainty paralyzes choice and decision-making, and ultimately manifests itself in a discrepancy between what a person thinks and how he or she behaves in reality. Experts call this state – ambivalence of behavior, duality of actions and deeds, ambivalence of motivation and will, or ambitendence.

It should be noted that the term epistemological ambivalence (from the Greek epistеmikоs – knowledge) is not used in psychology. It is related to the philosophy of knowledge – epistemology or gnoseology. Such a philosophical concept as gnoseological dualism (duality of knowledge) is also known.

Chemical ambivalence refers to the characteristics of the polarity of carbon structures of organic molecules and their bonds during chemical interactions.

Diagnostics ambivalences

Duality is rarely visible to the "naked eye" and is almost never recognized by the person experiencing it. That is why psychologists and psychiatrists offer patients to answer tests.

There is a test of ambivalence, developed by the American psychiatrist H. Kaplan (Helen Singer Kaplan) based on the standard scale for diagnosing bipolar disorder; the test of attitude to conflict situations by Priester (Joseph Priester) and Petty (Richard E. Petty). There is no standardized test yet, and the simplest test contains questions:

1. How do you feel about your mother?
2. What meaning does your work have for you?
3. How highly do you rate yourself?
4. How do you feel about money?
5. When you are angry with someone you love, do you feel guilty?

Another ambivalence test asks you to answer the following questions (each of which has several answer options, from “completely agree” to “completely disagree”):

1. I prefer not to show others what I feel deep down inside.
2. I usually discuss my problems with other people, it helps me to turn to them when necessary.
3. I don't feel comfortable having open conversations with others.
4. I'm afraid that other people might stop communicating with me.
5. I often worry that other people don't care about me.
6. Dependence on others does not cause me any unpleasant feelings.

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Treatment ambivalences

People find it difficult to recognize the state of ambivalence, since it is a subconscious process. Research has shown that certain personality traits can influence whether ambivalence correction will be effective. Experts include such qualities as a tolerant attitude towards ambiguity, a sufficient level of intelligence and openness of character, as well as a desire to solve problems.

The need for correction arises when situational ambivalence transforms into a pathological syndrome, causes difficulties in communication and leads to inadequate psychogenic reactions. Then the help of a psychotherapist is needed.

Given that severe ambivalence is associated with negative affect and physiological arousal, sedative medications or antidepressant drugs may be required.

Psychologists recommend remembering that nothing is perfect and that uncertainty and doubt are part of life. And also keeping in mind that ambivalence can be a way of self-defense against negative experiences. And that depression and anxiety reduce a person’s ability to make free decisions and thus exacerbate the problem.