Ambivalence facts for kids

Ambivalence is when you have mixed feelings about something or someone. It means you feel both positive and negative emotions at the same time. For example, you might love ice cream but also know it's not the healthiest choice. This creates a mix of good and bad feelings.

Even though our feelings usually guide what we do, mixed feelings can make our actions less clear. If you're not sure how you feel, your future choices might be harder to predict. Mixed feelings can also change easily based on new information or even your mood. However, people with mixed feelings often think more deeply about the topic, which can make them more open to new, strong ideas.

Sometimes, having mixed feelings can feel uncomfortable, especially when you need to make a decision. This uncomfortable feeling is also known as cognitive dissonance. It might make you avoid the situation or put off making a choice. People feel this discomfort differently, and some are more aware of their mixed feelings than others.

What is Ambivalence?

Different Kinds of Mixed Feelings

The idea of ambivalence was first used in psychology by a doctor named Eugen Bleuler in 1910. He described three main types of mixed feelings:

• Volitional ambivalence: This is when you can't decide what action to take. Imagine a donkey starving between two equally tasty piles of hay because it can't choose which one to eat first. This shows how hard it can be to make a choice when options seem equally good.
• Intellectual ambivalence: This means you believe that for every idea, there's an opposite idea that also seems true. It's like being a skeptic who thinks there are good reasons for both sides of an argument.
• Emotional ambivalence: This is when you have opposing feelings, like both love and hate, towards the same person or thing. For example, someone might both love and get annoyed by their sibling.

Bleuler also noticed that even in healthy people, mixed feelings about actions and ideas often show up in dreams.

How Freud Saw Mixed Feelings

Another famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud, quickly started using Bleuler's idea of ambivalence. Freud used it to explain situations where people had strong feelings of both love and hate for the same person.

It's important to remember that while some mixed feelings come from deeper emotional struggles, everyday mixed feelings can simply be a realistic view of something that has both good and bad parts.

Ambivalence in Philosophy

Philosophers like Hili Razinsky think about how mixed feelings connect to other parts of being human. They explore what it means for us to have these conflicting thoughts and feelings about our actions, judgments, and who we are.

See Also

In Spanish: Ambivalencia para niños