Ambivalence is a state of having simultaneous conflicting reactions, beliefs, or feelings towards some object. Stated another way, ambivalence is the experience of having an attitude towards someone or something that contains both positively and negatively valenced components.

Similarly, What does ambivalent mean in psychology?

n. 1. the simultaneous existence of contradictory feelings and attitudes, such as pleasantness and unpleasantness or friendliness and hostility, toward the same person, object, event, or situation.

Additionally, What is an example of ambivalence? It is wanting to do two different things or feeling two opposing ways. For example, you may feel ambivalent about going out on Friday night. Although on one hand it would be fun to hang out with your friends, on the other hand it would be nice to save money by staying in and resting.

What does ambivalent relationship mean?

What Is Ambivalence? Ambivalence occurs in intimate relationships when there is a coexistence of opposing emotions and desires towards the other person that creates an uncertainty about being in the relationship.

What is an ambivalent man?

For the ambivalent man, the inability to commit in an emotionally valid way may, paradoxically, reflect an emotionally vulnerable self that he is afraid to recognize out of fear that it will overwhelm him or make him less of a man.

What is an example of ambivalent?

The definition of ambivalent is someone who is uncertain or lacks the ability to make decisions. An example of someone who is ambivalent is a politician who appears fickle in his platform. Simultaneously experiencing or expressing opposing or contradictory feelings, beliefs, or motivations.

What are the examples of ambivalent values?

An example of ambivalence is struggling with whether to invite someone to an event because she has a positive relationship with you but not with the other attendees. The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea.

How do you describe ambivalence?

1 : simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action felt ambivalence toward his powerful father ambivalence toward marriage. 2a : continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite)

What is ambivalence in motivational interviewing?

Ambivalence represents a client’s experience of simultaneously feeling two ways about changing one’s behavior; for example, concurrently wanting to make a change while also feeling reticent to do so.

What are things to be ambivalent about?

If you are ambivalent about something, your feelings about it are contradictory or mixed: you feel two (or more) ways about it. The word typically describes a person or a person’s attitude: I’m ambivalent about going to the show. On the one hand, it would be fun.

How do you deal with an ambivalent partner?

  1. Be aware if anxiety is taking you away from yourself, and return to a healthy sense of who you are.
  2. Be willing to take the long view. …
  3. Dont play the role of therapist with your partner.
  4. Dont pressure your partner or try to solve their dilemma for them.
  5. Avoid numbing or self-defeating behaviors.

Does ambivalent mean I don’t care?

Being ambivalent doesn’t mean you don‘t care, it means you have contradictory or mixed feelings about it. You do careā€”and you’re torn.

Is it possible to both love and hate something at the same time?

When we feel both love and hate, we can consider ourselves to be emotionally ambivalent. This does not mean that we feel hate first and then love, or vice versa. Emotional ambivalence means that these two emotions, love and hate, don’t substitute each other, but rather coexist together, without displacing one another.

How do I deal with an ambivalent husband?

  1. Be aware if anxiety is taking you away from yourself, and return to a healthy sense of who you are.
  2. Be willing to take the long view. …
  3. Dont play the role of therapist with your partner.
  4. Dont pressure your partner or try to solve their dilemma for them.
  5. Avoid numbing or self-defeating behaviors.

Can an ambivalent man change?

In summary, the Ambivalent is a complicated person. When treated by an experienced individual who specializes in Attachment Disorder, one can change. It takes time, willingness to dive deep into the pain body wound and patience for a new level of relational tolerance to take place.

Why do people become ambivalent?

So where does ambivalence come from? Many psychologists and social scientists report that certain personality traits tend to be associated with the ambivalent stance, such as obsessive compulsive tendencies, unhealthy psychological defensive styles (such as splitting), and underdeveloped problem solving skills.

How do you use beleaguer in a sentence?


Beleaguer in a Sentence

  1. On Halloween, I know the little trick-or-treaters are going to beleaguer me all night long.
  2. Jane’s ex-husband tries to beleaguer her by intentionally mailing her child support payments late.
  3. If we do not spray our house with insect repellant, mosquitos will beleaguer us all summer.

What is ambivalent relationship?

What Is Ambivalence? Ambivalence occurs in intimate relationships when there is a coexistence of opposing emotions and desires towards the other person that creates an uncertainty about being in the relationship.

What are the ambivalent Filipino traits or values?

The truth is that Filipino values are ambivalent in the sense that they are a potential for good or evil, a help or hindrance to personal and national development, depending on how they are understood, practiced or lived. They can be used in a good or evil context, e.g., pakikisama sa kabuktutan or sa kaunlaran.

Is ambivalence an emotion?

Emotional ambivalence is a particularly complex emotion characterized by tension and conflict that is felt when someone experiences both positive and negative emotions simultaneously.

Is ambivalence a bad thing?

Whether we’re aware of it or not, most of us view ambivalence as a mindset to be avoided. Decades of research have shown that holding both negative and positive attitudes about something makes us uncomfortable and anxious. More often than not, ambivalence is regarded as a weakness that causes unnecessary conflict.

How do you use the word ambivalence in a sentence?


Ambivalence sentence example

  1. He felt an ambivalence about the nature of the inmates. …
  2. Clearly, the historical turn of events from non-violence to nuclear armament, suggest a deep ambivalence about Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy.

What is ambivalence in MI?

Motivational interviewing (MI) is based upon the notion that ambivalence is a normal part of behavior change. In MI, a clinician seeks to develop a collaborative, supportive environment in which they can elicit a client’s own reasons for change, known as ‘change talk’.

What is ambivalence talk?

a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.

What is ambivalence to change?

Ambivalence is a normal and expected part of long term change. It typically shows up in the ā€œcontemplationā€ stage of change, where you have recognized a behavior you wish to change, recognized that this behavior is a problem for you, but are fearful or even feel ā€œstuckā€ as to how to change it.