
Have you recently had simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something and been uncertain about which pathway to follow? How did you resolve it? Are any of your patients feeling torn between two opposite positions or emotions or stuck between them? How have you approached that with them?
A Shakespearean Influence
Hamlet’s poignant dilemma, “To be or not to be,” has significantly contributed to illustrating ambivalence as an integral part of the human experience. And research has highlighted its role in moderating the relationship between attitudes and behavior. However, there are still questions about when ambivalence leads to more resistance or susceptibility to persuasion and influence. Inspired by her father’s teachings using Shakespeare’s plays, Naomi Rothman has dedicated her career to studying the nuances of ambivalence. Her insights highlight it can be a positive force. Her work and source of inspiration fascinated me, leading me to explore other works on the same topic.
The Perks of Ambivalence
Developmentally speaking, children as young as five can identify ambivalence. This ability parallels the development of a theory of mind and executive function skills. Research has revealed that ambivalence can broaden our conceptual thinking and enhance cognitive flexibility, potentially aiding in resolving complex issues. In addition, experiencing mixed emotions can enhance openness to peer advice and improve judgment accuracy. The reason might be that multiple emotions balance the biases of singular emotions and could lead to more accurate assessments of situations. This can be advantageous in decision-making and inform our interventions in integrated primary care settings.
The Situational Benefits
Ambivalent attitudes are pliable, and their valence is context dependent. They can either help or prevent individuals from becoming more adaptive. Studies suggest that experiencing mixed emotions is essential in the quest for meaning in life, contributing to well-being. Experiencing contradictory feelings and sharing ambivalence with others might make us uncomfortable and vulnerable. However, research shows that, although ambivalence sharing might be disadvantageous in competitive or individualistic scenarios, it fosters connection and congruence in collaborative environments. Embracing ambivalence sharing not merely as a transitional challenge but as a catalyst for change could redefine our practices.
Destigmatizing Ambivalence
Further understanding the mechanisms and mediators through which ambivalence fosters resilience versus hindering progress would help design new therapeutic interventions. A few things stemming from the current research could be already incorporated into our practices:
- Fostering a collaborative environment where ambivalence is positively regarded.
- Contributing to destigmatizing ambivalence, educating providers and patients on the potential benefits for growth and wellbeing.
- Utilizing available techniques to facilitate ambivalence sharing as a vehicle to help patients navigate their emotional complexities in their journey toward meaning making.
Giving Ambivalence a Voice
Researchers from the Psychology Research Centre at the University of Minho offer an interesting framework to conceptualize and address ambivalence. They claim their framework is theoretically coherent with studies that found successful psychotherapy cases follow a pattern of change in which the problematic position is incorporated into the “community of voices” of a person. Like in other approaches, they deem resolving ambivalence necessary for meaningful and sustained change but suggest that for its successful resolution, a dialogue between the ambivalence first needs to be established, giving each position a separate voice. This can have special significance in acknowledging silenced, marginal voices aligned with diverse cultural values and those with divergent positions about health. And we might encounter many of those voices in the years to come.
Apropos of Hamlet
It could be said that life is a succession of dilemmas, and it is difficult to imagine a life without ambivalence. These dilemmas are framed in a fluid continuum of a wide range of opposing positions and emotions. But when trapped in the repetition of a single dilemma, ambivalence becomes stagnant, so less fluid and malleable. We then experience life as being put on hold, see life pass by us, and feel we are not fully alive. Storytelling has the power to re-dynamize our ambivalence and “reanimate” the soul of our dilemmas. They can inspire us in our quest for meaning. Sometimes, in this simple way, life can return, getting us unstocked and opening the doors for new dilemmas to arrive and inhabit us. At other times, that can be the beginning of a conversation with your primary care clinician. Or perhaps send you on a journey to become one…
Drop a thought …
Thought provoking piece Chus – I found the framework studied at University of Minho fascinating, and its potential impact on honoring diverging voices a worthy consideration
Thank you, Dan, for your insights and feedback.
Bravo, Chus! Ambivalence may be a way of avoiding (temporarily at least) the otherwise crazymaking double-binding traps that may appear in our pathway!
Abrazo, C
So well written and so important. Without the capacity to tolerate ambivalence we find ourselves in a rigid world of absolutes where people are either good or bad, winners or losers, allies or enemies.
Thank you for writing.