Ambivalent feelings in life and relationships. Vocabulary: what is ambivalence and why it's hard to quit a job you hate

Ambivalence is a term for duality that was originally used in psychology to refer to the presence of several polarized ideas in the human mind. It should be noted that in the mind of a person, both several polar ideas and desires or emotions can simultaneously exist. The concept in question was adopted at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and for a long time was considered as the main symptom of schizophrenia.

The phenomenon of ambivalence was studied by such eminent scientists as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, devoting much attention to the "duality of consciousness" in their works. If we talk about the duality of consciousness from the point of view of medicine, then we can say that in such a state in the human brain there can be two thoughts that will not mix. From the psychological side, the duality of consciousness is considered as a norm that does not require mental correction. Let's look at what ambivalence is and how it manifests itself.

Ambivalence (from Latin ambo - both + valentia - strength): a person's dual attitude towards something

Since its inception, ambivalence has been used as a term for duality only in the field of medicine. Much later, the great scientists of the nineteenth century began to mention the phenomenon under consideration, using ambivalence to characterize the characteristics of the psyche. It is important to note that this condition from the point of view of psychology is the norm and does not require treatment.. In this area, only the degree of severity of this condition is important. According to Sigmund Freud, pronounced ambivalence is one of the symptoms of neurotic disorders. In addition, duality is often noted in the Oedipus complex and at certain stages of personal development.

Given the above, a very logical question arises, why is this feature of human consciousness so important? In order to understand the importance of ambivalence, one should carefully study the very model of the structure of human consciousness. In addition, increased attention should be paid to two vital instincts - eros (life) and thanatos (death). It is these instincts, embedded in a person from the moment of birth, that are the key manifestation of the phenomenon in question. Based on this theory, experts put forward a version that the duality of consciousness is inherent in every person from birth and is not an acquired state provoked by various factors.

But it is important to note that certain living conditions can negatively affect the human consciousness, which can cause a violation of the delicate balance. It is the disturbed mental balance that provokes the development of neuroses and other borderline states. Most often, such violations are observed in the following situations:

1. The use of psychotropic drugs, alcoholic beverages and narcotic substances.
2. Negative emotional upheavals and stress.
3. Psychotraumatic situations that leave an imprint on the human mind.
4. The use of various practices and techniques to expand (change) perception.

Considering the question of what ambivalence is in psychology, it is important to mention that, according to experts, opposing ideas will sooner or later come into conflict, which will negatively affect consciousness. As a result of this conflict, one of the feelings can go into the subconscious. The result of such a transition is that the duality reduces its severity.

Ambivalence according to Bleuler is divided into three types

Ambivalence in psychiatry

Considering ambivalence from a medical point of view, it should be noted that such a condition is not an independent pathology. In psychiatry, the phenomenon under discussion is part of the clinical picture of various diseases. Based on this, we can say that the appearance of duality is associated precisely with the development of mental disorders. Ambivalent feelings, thoughts and emotions are characteristic of various diseases, among which schizophrenia should be distinguished. In addition, this feature of human consciousness manifests itself in a negative light in diseases such as:

• chronic depression;
• psychosis;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder, neurosis, etc.).

Often, ambivalence appears in panic attacks, eating disorders, and even phobias.

It is important to understand that the phenomenon of ambivalence implies the presence of several feelings, emotions or desires that do not mix, but appear in parallel. Duality from the point of view of psychiatry, is seen as a drastic change in relation to the outside world. In such a state, a person often changes his attitude towards various people, objects or phenomena.

Clinical picture

Since the term under consideration has many definitions, when drawing up a clinical picture, we will rely on the criteria used in the original (psychiatric) context. These criteria are divided into three groups: emotions, thoughts and will. In the case when the ambivalent state is considered as a pathology, the patient has all three of the above components, which are generated by each other.

Emotional ambivalence

Duality, affecting the emotionally sensitive sphere, has the highest degree of prevalence. This symptom, which is characteristic of many neuroses and other mental disorders, is often found in completely healthy people. A striking sign of duality in the emotionally sensitive sphere is the presence of several opposite emotions. An ambivalent attitude is the presence of such feelings as hatred and love, curiosity and fear, contempt and sympathy. In most cases, a healthy person is in a similar state of nostalgia, where sadness about the past gives rise to joy from pleasant memories.

The danger of this state is explained by the fact that sooner or later, one of the states acquires a dominant role. In a situation where fear accompanies curiosity, the deviation of the scales in favor of the latter can lead to traumatic consequences and a threat to life. The dominance of hatred over love becomes the reason for the launch of protective mechanisms, in which a person, under the influence of his own emotions, can harm both others and himself.

With ambivalence, a person simultaneously experiences positive and negative feelings towards someone or something.

Polar thoughts and ideas

Polar thoughts and ideas are an integral part of neurotic disorders. Obsessive thoughts and ideas that replace each other in the human mind are a peculiar characteristic of mental illness. It should be noted that polar thoughts in the mind appear solely due to the duality of emotional perception. The spectrum of human ideas itself can be of unlimited size. Duality of thought in psychiatry is seen as a "crack" in the mind, which is the main symptom of schizophrenia.

Will sphere

Volitional duality is characterized as the inability to carry out a specific action, due to the presence of several incentives. In order to better understand this state, let's consider a situation in which a person is very thirsty. Under such conditions, an ordinary person will take a glass, pour water into it and quench his thirst. With volitional duality, patients refuse water or freeze in one position with a glass in their hand, while not paying attention to a strong desire to drink. Most often, most people experience this phenomenon when they experience a simultaneous desire to stay awake and go to bed.

Specialists who study volitional ambivalence say that the refusal to make independent decisions is most often generated by internal conflicts. The cause of such conflicts can be irresponsible behavior or, on the contrary, increased responsibility, accompanied by a fear of making a mistake. Reduced self-esteem and increased self-criticism, fear of public attention and a tendency to perfectionism, increased anxiety, indecision and various phobias can act as the cause of an internal conflict. An attempt to avoid difficult choices is accompanied by the appearance of two polar feelings - shame at one's own indecision and a sense of relief. It is by the presence of these feelings that experts confirm the theory that each type of duality is closely interconnected with each other.

Dual emotions, like ambivalence itself, can be both a difference in human consciousness and a symptom of a disease. That is why during the diagnostic examination, increased attention is paid to the background manifestations of this condition.

Ambivalent behavior can be a sign of emotional instability, and sometimes the first sign of the development of mental illness.

Therapy Methods

When a person is moderately ambivalent, which is accompanied by the absence of a negative manifestation of this condition, it is not required to use various methods of treatment. In this case, duality is a characteristic feature of consciousness. Medical intervention is required only in situations where an ambivalent attitude to the outside world leaves a negative imprint on habitual life. In this situation, the feeling of discomfort caused by internal conflicts can become a kind of signal about the presence of mental disorders. Experts do not recommend people with similar problems to independently seek various methods for resolving conflicts, as there is a high risk of developing more serious complications.

Medical therapy

To date, there are no narrowly targeted medications that can eliminate the duality of consciousness. The treatment strategy, as well as the means used, are considered on an individual basis.. Most often, the choice of a particular medication is based on accompanying symptoms that complement the clinical picture.

As part of the complex treatment of borderline conditions, drugs from various drug groups are used. These can be either light sedative medications or more “powerful” tranquilizers and antidepressants. The action of such drugs is aimed at suppressing the severity of the disease and normalizing the mental balance. In the event that the disease has a severe form of severity and there is a high risk to the patient's life, specialists may recommend that the patient's relatives conduct therapy in a hospital setting.

Mental correction

Methods of psychotherapy are based on various ways to identify the cause of the duality of consciousness. This means that the main emphasis in treatment is on psychoanalytic action. In order to achieve a lasting result, the specialist needs to identify the root cause of the appearance of ambivalence. In those situations where the role of the triggering mechanism is assigned to various traumatic circumstances that have childhood roots, the specialist must carefully “work through” this moment. To do this, increase self-esteem and instill a sense of responsibility in the patient. Increased attention is paid to the correction of the emotional-volitional sphere.

Many psychologists consider ambivalence inherent in every person without exception, but the difference lies only in the degree of its manifestation.

When the duality of consciousness is the cause of the appearance of phobias and increased anxiety, the main emphasis of psychotherapeutic treatment is on combating problematic moments in the patient's life. You can achieve the desired effect both with the help of independent trainings and group classes aimed at combating internal fear and personal growth.

In conclusion, it should be said that duality can be both a hallmark of the human psyche and a symptom of a disease. That is why it is very important to treat your own condition with due attention. The appearance of a feeling of discomfort due to an ambivalent attitude to the outside world requires urgent consultation with a specialist. Otherwise, the risk of possible negative consequences for human life increases every day.

Love and hate. Get angry and stretch. Desire and fear. Man is a contradictory being. In psychology, this is called ambivalence. Emotions, desires, ideas, plans - all this can be contradictory. That is why a person often behaves ambiguously in relationships, at work, in solving any issue. In the article, we will consider some examples of ambivalence in order to understand what it is.

What is ambivalence?

What is ambivalence? Ambivalence is understood as a contradictory attitude of a person to one object or phenomenon. In other words, this is called duality. There are two conflicting feelings, thoughts, plans in a person at the same time. One excludes the other, but they are in the person right now.

For the first time this concept was introduced by E. Bleiler, who perceived this duality as one of the factors indicating the presence of schizophrenia. That is why ambivalence is divided into 3 types:

1. Emotional - when a person simultaneously experiences two conflicting feelings for a particular object or phenomenon. It manifests itself very clearly in parent-child or love relationships.
2. Volitional (ambition) - when a person wants two opposite results (goals) at the same time. Since he cannot make a choice, this causes him to refuse to make a decision at all.
3. Intellectual - when a person jumps from one idea to another, which contradict each other.

Z. Freud perceived ambivalence as a natural phenomenon of human nature, when there is a desire to live and a craving for death.

Modern psychologists consider ambivalence to be quite normal. It is natural for a person to be ambivalent about some partners or objects that play a significant role in his life. The more a person is attracted to someone, the more he wants to push away, because attraction is akin to losing one's integrity, individuality, uniqueness. Imagine two planets that are attracted to each other. They both attract themselves and attract each other, not wanting to collide, to leave their orbit. Duality is quite normal for people who are holistic personalities, but at the same time they are attracted to certain partners, things, phenomena.

At the same time, psychologists note that the unipolarity of feelings, when a person experiences only positive or only negative emotions towards specific objects, indicates the idealization or devaluation of this phenomenon. Either a person does not have enough information, or ignores, or demands too much, or does not notice something. Thus, exclusively positive or negative emotions (unipolarity) indicate the lack of information about this object.

Ambivalence of feelings

The main feature of the ambivalence of feelings is that a person does not alternately experience some emotions, but simultaneously experiences them. A person at a given second can experience love, and after 5 minutes - jealousy, but inside the individual they are always present at the same time. It is necessary to distinguish ambivalence from the usual phenomenon, when experiences arise as a result of some event. For example, a man loves his partner. He does not even think about any other feelings. However, a specific event occurs (a partner flirts with another person) that causes jealousy. This feeling was not present before, it just appeared. In the future, ambivalence may develop when a person will both love and be jealous of his partner.

The main factor that plays a role in the formation of ambivalence is the importance of a partner, thing or phenomenon. To some extent, a person should be attracted, dependent, drawn to something for which he simultaneously feels hatred, anger, aggression.

Often in the nature of the ambivalence of feelings, such a concept as transference can be traced. A person projects his feelings on the one to whom he experiences them in a dual form. On the one hand, he loves what he does not talk about, on the other hand, he hates what he vividly expresses, manifests and thinks that the partner experiences such experiences.

Ambivalence manifests itself in almost every person in a situation of internal conflict. Age does not play a big role: both children, especially adolescents, and adults can experience the ambivalence of feelings. The role of internal conflict lies in dissatisfaction with what is happening. On the one hand, a person sees positive benefits in a partner, object, phenomenon. On the other hand, this object is not controllable, not ideal, not understood, etc.

Feelings stop contradicting each other when a person can rule over an object, understand, control, manage it. Unipolarity of feelings of a negative nature also arises when a person renounces the possession of a partner or an object. It becomes unimportant to him (depreciation). If idealization occurs (when a person embellishes, adds non-existent properties to an object), then his emotions become extremely positive.

Ambivalence in relationships

Love is a feeling that has many secrets and mysteries. What it is? How to understand that you or you are loved? There is no other feeling about which there were so many questions, because often partners can still hate each other ..

Love can be called a feeling when you are drawn to a person. You want to be with him not “because”, but “I don’t understand why”. Your feeling is incomprehensible. You seem to understand how you like a person, but this knowledge is incomplete.

Separate from love passion, when a person is attracted by the body of a partner. He just wants to have sex, then leave. It's not love, it's just passion.

Love is a constant desire to be with a person. And here it doesn’t matter whether you understand why you are attracted to a partner or not. There are two types of love here:

1. Reasonable.
2. Crazy.

Reasonable love is a feeling of calm at the sight of a loved one. You want to be with him, build relationships and have a future together, but you don't worry, you don't get jealous, you don't run to him because you're afraid of something. Your love is calm. You are confident in yourself, your feelings, partner, relationships. You can both be together and apart - in any situation you feel calm.

Crazy love is passion, jealousy, resentment, worries, fears, etc. A person in such love simply does not control himself. He becomes crazy. He performs the most diverse acts, because he is subject to fear that he is deceived, betrayed, betrayed, not loved. Here someone can say that this is not love, but a sense of possessiveness. In fact, this is also love, just mixed with mistrust and fears.

Love is the desire to be with another person, to build relationships and a future with him. But the feeling itself can be calm or exciting, frightening. Depending on what a person is still experiencing, in addition to love, he performs certain actions, feels himself in one way or another.

It is very difficult to combine love with those periodic experiences that a person suppresses in himself. Dissatisfaction with a spouse, inability to establish communication with loved ones, unresolved conflicts - everything causes negative emotions. Once upon a time, relationships were born on one love, but over time it is saturated with negative feelings that periodically arise as various events occur.

It may seem that a person in a state of ambivalence is indifferent to the needs of a partner. However, one should not confuse ambivalence, in which a lot of conflicting ideas and feelings are spinning in a person’s head, and the complete absence of any desires and emotions.

Jealousy, hatred, rejection, pain, disappointment, the desire to be alone (alone) - all this echoes love feelings. It seems that people cannot love and hate at the same time. However, psychologists say that ambivalence in relationships is normal.

Examples of ambivalence

Ambivalence is multifaceted and manifests itself not only in relationships between loving people. Where two or more people meet, or a person with a particular phenomenon, ambivalence can arise. Consider her examples:

• Love for the parent and the desire for his death. As the saying goes, "it's good with parents, but when they live far away."
• Love and hatred for a partner, which is often mixed with a feeling of jealousy and even envy for the resources or benefits he has.
• Unlimited love for the child, but the desire to briefly give him to his grandparents, take him to a kindergarten / school. Here, the parents are tired.
• The desire to be close to parents, but at the same time not to face their moralizing, guardianship, desire to help.
• Experiencing feelings of nostalgia (positive memories) and loss at the same time. A person warmly recalls the past, but is experiencing the loss of something important.
• The desire to achieve the goal, but the fear of what the result of all his actions will lead a person to.
• A combination of fear and curiosity. When scary sounds come from the room in the dark, the person keeps walking to see what is happening there.
• Combination of understanding and criticism. A person can understand the actions of a partner, but is dissatisfied with the fact that they were committed by him.
• Sadomasochism - when a person loves his partner, but is aroused by causing him pain. This can be recognized not only in sexual relationships, but also in love relationships, when, for example, a woman suffers from her alcoholic husband, but does not leave him.
• Choice between two candidates. Both are good in their own way and bad at the same time. I want to combine them into one whole in order to get what I really dream about.

When a person hates and gets angry, but does not leave, this is a vivid example of ambivalence - an overflow of feelings and desires, inconsistency of aspirations and an understanding of what needs to be done and how it does not agree with desires. It is quite normal for an adult to be in a state of ambivalence, which can easily be associated with standing at a crossroads - “Which way to go?”, which a person cannot decide.

Outcome

The variability of opinion regarding a particular object is called high ambivalence. A person's desire for a specific result, regardless of what negative emotions arise along the way, is called low ambivalence. However, ambivalence itself is always present in a person's life, since the world in which he lives is dual: there is good and evil, hope and despair, success and defeat. The result of ambivalence depends entirely on the decisions that a person still makes in a state of "being at a crossroads."

• You can devalue the situation, that is, reject it.
• You can fight to have more positive emotions.
• It is possible to take a decision from the two available ones and go along a path that will not suit you in the same way as if it happened when choosing another solution.
• You can stand still and not move anywhere. Then a person will face the fact that his problem will not disappear anywhere, and he will always be in a state of weightlessness and oscillation between two conflicting feelings/opinions/desires.

Ambivalence can both help and hinder a person. Often we are talking about some kind of misinformation, misunderstanding of the situation, inability to understand one's own desires or see an object in relation to which ambivalence of feelings is manifested in the real world. Often a person wants something that cannot be realized in the existing situation using the resources achieved. It happens that ambivalence is a consequence of an internal conflict in which a person is.

Sometimes you just need to wait, and sometimes you need to act very quickly. How to do the right thing, the person must decide for himself. However, it is important to understand that it is quite normal to have conflicting desires, feelings, thoughts and ideas in a dualistic world.

In the first half of the 20th century, the term was used mainly in psychiatry, but gradually it moved to other sciences and everyday speech. Examples of ambivalent behavior in life are common. For example, if a person understands that alcohol is harmful to health, but cannot refuse it, then we can talk about an ambivalent attitude towards sobriety. When you want to quit a job you hate, but you can’t make a decision, because it brings a stable income, this is also ambivalence. A literary example that Freud liked to cite is Othello's conflicting feelings for Desdemona in Shakespeare's tragedy.

The first to use the word "ambivalence" was the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler. In 1908, the doctor published a paper in which he gave the disease known as "premature dementia" a new name - schizophrenia. Bleuler gave a description of the main symptoms of schizophrenic thinking, among which, in addition to autism, depersonalization and association disorders, he especially singled out "ambivalence" (Latin ambo - "both", valentia - "strength") - the simultaneous presence of mutually exclusive thoughts in a person. Because of this duality of thinking, the personality splits into two antagonistic ones, and the patient identifies himself first with one, then with the other. The doctor wrote the following about such a state: “Love and hate (in a patient. - Approx. ed.) to the same person can be equally fiery and do not affect each other. The patient wants to eat and not eat at the same time, he equally willingly does what he wants and what he does not want, at the same time he thinks: “I am the same person as you” and “I am not the same as you.” "God" and "hell", "hello" and "goodbye" are equivalent for him and merge into one concept.

The psychiatrist identified three types of ambivalence. Emotional ambivalence he described the simultaneous positive and negative feeling towards a person, object or event. For example, with jealousy, you can experience both love and hate, and nostalgia causes not only joy from a pleasant memory, but also sadness from the fact that the event is in the past.

Volitional ambivalence means that a person cannot make a choice and, as a result, often refuses to make a decision at all. Such doubts are vividly illustrated by the parable about Buridan's donkey: a hungry animal stands between two equally attractive haystacks and cannot choose either one. Avoiding choice, a person often feels relieved, but at the same time ashamed of his indecision - that is, one kind of duality gives rise to another.

The third type, intellectual ambivalence, is when mutually exclusive ideas alternate in reasoning. For example, confidence in the justice of "divine providence" is replaced by atheism. It is believed that it is this "split" of thinking that primarily indicates the development of schizophrenia.

At the same time, Bleuler noted that conflicting behavior is not necessarily a sign of schizophrenia. In his opinion, it can be characteristic of perfectly healthy people, especially with a personality type. It is worth worrying if a person constantly suffers from duality of ideas, feelings, or finds it difficult to make decisions, and his mood and reactions change very quickly when this is not motivated by anything. Psychologists point out that doubt and uncertainty are a natural part of life. The reasons for ambivalence, if we are not talking about the pathology of the psyche, may be indecision, isolation, phobias, a tendency to or vice versa - perfectionism, a subconscious fear of making a mistake and failing, emotional and intellectual immaturity. It is believed that alcohol, drugs, anesthesia and severe stress increase the manifestations of ambivalence. As a rule, it is difficult to realize the state, because it is a subconscious process.

How to say

Incorrect: “All day I was in a lethargic, ambivalent state, so I never left the house.”

Right: “My own ambivalence drives me to despair: a promotion at work both excites and scares me.”

That's right: "Kolya's ambivalent attitude to money is surprising: he either saves on every little thing, or lowers his entire salary in a day."

The simultaneous existence in a person of opposing ideas, desires or emotions regarding one person, object or phenomenon has received the name "ambivalence" in psychology. A person in this state experiences ambiguity, duality or inconsistency of thoughts or feelings towards the same object.

Description

Ambivalence of feelings (from Latin ambo is translated as "both", and valentia - as "strength") is an ambiguous, contradictory attitude towards someone or something. It is expressed in the fact that one object causes 2 opposite feelings at the same time. This phenomenon has been observed in everyday life since ancient times, and has also been described in fiction. Such ambivalence of feelings was most often attributed to love passion.

The term "ambivalence" itself was introduced by Bleuler in 1910. He believed that the ambivalence of feelings can be considered the main symptom of a schizophrenic disorder. Here is what Bleuler wrote about this human condition: “Short-term ambivalence is part of ordinary mental life, but stable or pronounced ambivalence is the initial symptom of schizophrenia. In this case, it most often refers to the affective, volitional or ideator sphere.

In cases where ambivalence is characteristic of the behavior of schizophrenics, conflicting experiences, attitudes and reactions are replaced very quickly and completely unmotivated. However, this condition can also be experienced by absolutely normal people. For them, ambivalence is most often experienced in feelings such as sadness and jealousy.

The psychology of our time knows 2 main ideas about this state:

1. Ambivalence in psychoanalytic theory is usually understood as a diverse range of feelings that a person experiences in relation to someone. It is believed that such a state is absolutely normal in relation to those people whose role is rather ambiguous for a particular person. But the unipolarity of experiences (exclusively positive or negative emotions) is considered a manifestation of the depreciation or idealization of a partner. In other words, the person simply does not realize how ambivalent their feelings are. This change of attitude towards an important object is called by psychoanalysts "the splitting of the ego";
2. Ambivalence in psychiatry and medical psychology refers to the general periodic change of attitude. For example, in the morning the patient experiences only positive feelings for someone, in the afternoon - negative, and in the evening - again positive.

Some modern psychologists, wishing to enrich their professional vocabulary, use this term incorrectly, denoting by it any ambiguous impulses and feelings. In fact, the ambivalence of feelings is not just some kind of mixed feelings or impulses, but conflicting emotions that a person experiences almost simultaneously, and not alternately.

Factors

Most often, the ambivalence of feelings is one of the most ambivalence of feelings: factors and types of pronounced symptoms of schizophrenic mental disorder. In addition, it can also manifest itself in obsessive-compulsive disorders, as well as be observed in MDP and prolonged depression. With a high intensity of manifestation, pathological ambivalence of feelings can significantly aggravate obsessional neurosis and psychogenic depression.

The most common cause of ambivalent emotions in normal people is acute experiences, stresses or conflicts. In one study, participants were asked to watch a film called Life Is Beautiful, which was a very warm and humorous account of the tragic situation in a World War II concentration camp. It was found that before watching this movie, only 10 percent of the subjects experienced ambivalent feelings in the happy-sad combination. After watching the movie, that percentage increased to 44 percent.

The ability to experience the ambivalence of feelings is a function of maturity. Most teenagers are capable of feeling mixed emotions, but children are not. Medical psychologist Larsen, through a study conducted in 2007, found that the ability to predict whether or not an event will or will not cause mixed feelings develops in children around 10-11 years old.

Ambivalence should not be confused with indifference. A person in a dual state of mind experiences an abundance of opinions and ideas, not their absence. Such a person can be very worried about what causes such duality in him.

Some of the emotions a priori cause ambivalent feelings. One illustrative example is nostalgia, in which people experience a feeling of warm connection with some event or object in the past, combined with the experience of loss.

Kinds

In psychology, several ambivalent types of attitude are considered:

• Ambivalence of feelings. A negative and positive feeling towards people, events, objects, manifesting simultaneously, is called "emotional ambivalence". A vivid example is hatred and love for one person;
• Ambivalence of thinking. It is the alternation of conflicting ideas in judgments;
• Volitional (ambition). Constant fluctuations between two opposing decisions and a complete inability to make your choice;
• Ambivalence of intentions. A person experiences opposite desires or aspirations (for example, disgust and lust).

The founder of psychoanalysis put a slightly different understanding into ambivalence. He called this term the simultaneous coexistence of 2 opposite internal motives, inherent in all people from birth. The most fundamental of these drives is the life drive (libido) and the death drive (mortido). In addition, Freud considered this state as a combination of opposing drives for one sexual object. The emotional life of people, according to the psychoanalytic concept, also consists of opposites. For example,
Freud gave an example when a child adored his parent, and at the same time wished him death.

Also, the term "ambivalence" is used in psychoanalysis to describe such a specific phenomenon as "transfer" or "transference". Freud repeatedly emphasized the dual nature of the transfer, which simultaneously has both a positive and a negative direction.

In psychology, a separate concept is also distinguished, called "ambivalence of feelings." This is an ambiguous experience or at the same time the presence in a person of 2 opposite aspirations regarding one object - for example, simultaneous antipathy and sympathy.

In philosophy there is a separate term "epistemological ambivalence". This term is used to denote the duality and ambiguity of many fundamental concepts of being. Dual emotions and creativity.

Numerous studies show that many normal people may experience ambivalent emotions. This mixture of positive and negative states is sometimes called mixed emotions. Scientists have found that ambivalent emotions significantly increase a person's creative abilities.

Experiencing mixed emotions has been shown to trigger a wider range of memories. This is easily explained from the point of view of congruence theory: positive moods and positive emotions evoke more desirable thoughts and memories, while negative feelings evoke other, unwanted thoughts and memories. Therefore, mixed emotions, providing a person with a wider range of knowledge, guarantee an increase in the flexibility of thinking. Thus, the thought process is significantly activated, which, in turn, creates the prerequisites for the development of creativity.

Even F. Scott Fitzgerald believed that a person's ability to ambivalence enhances his intellectual abilities: He believed that the ability to simultaneously hold two opposing ideas in the mind significantly increases the ability of the brain to function.

The psychological term ambivalence should be understood as a dual attitude towards something: an object, a person, a phenomenon. This is an indefinite feeling, in which absolutely opposite, antagonistic emotions are simultaneously present in relation to one and the same object, and both emotions can be experienced to the maximum extent, with maximum strength.

To put it simply, a person simultaneously experiences positive and negative feelings towards someone or something. Such conflicting emotions can arise spontaneously, or they can be a rather long-term phenomenon.

Ambivalent behavior can be a sign of emotional instability, and sometimes the first sign of the development of mental illness, such as schizophrenia. However, it can also occur simply against the background of stress, a complex emotional and psychological background, tension, or a number of unresolved situations.

Initially, this term was found exclusively in works on psychology and psychiatry, but later became generally accepted. A psychological glossary describes three forms of ambivalence: emotional, volitional, and intellectual. This classification was introduced by the psychiatrist Bleuler, who was the first to study this phenomenon and introduced the corresponding concept into the dictionary of terms.

1. Ambivalence of experiences (emotional or sensual) is the duality of feelings and emotions that a person experiences for the same object. A vivid example is jealousy in a couple relationship, when a person experiences both a feeling of love and affection, and strong negative emotions towards his partner. Also very often ambivalent are the feelings of a mother for a child or a child for parents, when the mother experiences love and aggression for her son or daughter at the same time.

2. Ambivalence of the mind (intellectual) is a dual view of things, when a person has two opposing opinions on the same account at the same time. Roughly speaking, a person can think about the same object or phenomenon that it is bad, and at the same time that it is good and right. This type of thinking may appear intermittently or be permanent.

3. Volitional ambivalence is characterized by the duality of decisions. It is very difficult for a person with this type of character to make a decision, he rushes between two options, every second taking one or the other, completely opposite.

Many psychologists consider ambitendency inherent in every person without exception, but the difference lies only in the degree of its manifestation. Slight duality of emotions, volitional decisions, or intellectual sphere can manifest itself from time to time in any mentally healthy person: this may be due to stress, an increased pace of life, or simply a collision with a difficult or atypical life situation.

Strongly expressed ambivalence - this already in psychology has a definition of a morbid state of the psyche and may be evidence of various types of mental or neurotic disorders.

Behavior

Complete harmony of thoughts, feelings and intentions, confidence in one’s desires and strengths, an accurate understanding of one’s own motives and goals is more often a standard, but it is rare to find a person who has all of the above. Partially, ambivalence of behavior is manifested in most people - both children and adults.

Such behavior may include ambivalence of intellectual thinking, will, intentions. For example, a person wants to drink water and has the opportunity to do so, but does not. Not because he is lazy or it is associated with any barriers and obstacles, but simply because he wants to, and at the same time does not want to.

Such a "split" may be the result of stress or self-doubt, it may be due to the inability or fear to take responsibility, spiritual immaturity. But it can also manifest itself against the background of neurotic disorders. Also, an ambivalent character arises against the background of strong feelings, conflicts, traumas.

As a rule, an ambivalent attitude and behavior arises as a result of polar emotions, feelings and experiences. Manifested periodically, it may not pose a threat and not indicate a mental disorder, but if it is constantly present in a person, it certainly indicates problems in his mental or emotional state.

Ambivalent behavior can manifest itself in the fact that a person performs unpredictable actions that contradict each other. He can express spontaneously different, opposite emotions, attitudes towards a person or an object, prove alternately two polar points of view, and so on. Such behavior indicates the dual and unstable nature of a person who is constantly “at a crossroads” and cannot come to one point.

The duality of actions, as a result of the duality of ideas, thoughts and feelings, can bring a lot of suffering to a person, as he experiences torment when it is necessary to make a choice, make an important decision, decide.

His character can bring a lot of experiences to those close to him who cannot rely on this person, knowing that he is not a man of his word, it is difficult to call him responsible and be confident in him. This person does not have a well-formed worldview and is often simply deprived of his confident and final point of view.

Polarity of feelings

The ambivalence of emotions is manifested in the dual attitude of a person to another person, to a partner, to an object, phenomenon or event. When a person is ambivalent, he can simultaneously experience love and hatred for his partner, rejoice and be sad about some event, experience fear and pleasure, desire and disgust in relation to any phenomenon.

If such duality manifests itself within a certain framework, then this is the norm, even more than that, many psychologists assure that the ambivalence of emotions can be considered a sign of a developed intellect and great creative potential. They indicate that a person who is not capable of ambivalent experience is not able to perceive the world fully, to see it from different angles and convey its entirety.

A person who is able to perceive the negative and positive side of a particular phenomenon at the same time, to keep two ideas, points of view or assessments in his head, is able to think broadly, creatively and outside the box. It is believed that all creative people are somehow ambivalent. However, an excessive degree of manifestation of ambivalence may indicate a neurotic disorder, in which case the help of a specialist is needed.

Ambivalence is considered the norm, especially in relation to an object or subject, whose influence can be considered ambiguous. And this can be said about any close person, whether it is a relative, child, parent or partner. If a person experiences an unambiguously positive attitude towards this person, without duality, then this can be considered idealization and “charm”, which, obviously, can be replaced with disappointment over time, and emotions will be unambiguously negative.

A loving parent periodically experiences negative emotions for his child: fear for him, discontent, irritation. A loving spouse sometimes experiences negative emotions such as jealousy, resentment, and so on. These are normal aspects of psychology, and this characterizes a healthy human psyche.

The meaning of the word “ambivalence” itself suggests that this term is used only if a person experiences polar emotions and feelings exactly at the same time, and not first one, then the other. At the same time, two polar experiences are not always felt clearly and equally clearly, sometimes one of them is present unconsciously for the person himself. Such a person may not understand that he feels different (opposite) emotions for someone at the same time, but this will manifest itself one way or another.

In psychology, people are divided into two types. The first is highly ambivalent, this is a person prone to dual feelings, opinions and thoughts, and the second is low ambivalent, striving for a single point of view, for unambiguous feelings and clarity. It is believed that extremes in both cases are not a sign of a healthy psyche, and the average level of ambivalence is normal and even good.

In some life situations, a high degree of ambivalence is needed, the ability to see and feel the polarity, but in other situations it will only be a hindrance. A person with a stable psyche and a high degree of awareness should strive to control himself and feel this aspect, which can become his tool. Author: Vasilina Serova