ambivalence

ambivalence
The coexistence of antithetical attitudes or emotions toward a given person or thing, or idea, as in the simultaneous feeling and expression of love and hate toward the same person. [ambi- + L. valentia, strength]

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am·biv·a·lence am-'biv-ə-lən(t)s n simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action <\ambivalence which is expressed in behavior by alternating obedience and rebellion (G. S. Blum)>
am·biv·a·lent -lənt adj
am·biv·a·lent·ly adv

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n.
(in psychology) the condition of holding opposite feelings (such as love and hate) for the same person or object. Excessive and prevalent ambivalence was thought by Bleuler to be a feature of schizophrenia.

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am·biv·a·lence (am-bivґə-ləns) [ambi- + L. valentia strength, power] the simultaneous existence of conflicting attitudes, emotions, ideas, or wishes toward the same object. ambivalent adj

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • ambivalence — [ ɑ̃bivalɑ̃s ] n. f. • 1911; all. Ambivalenz, du lat. ambo « tous les deux » et valence 1 ♦ Psychol. Caractère de ce qui comporte deux composantes de sens contraire. Ambivalence affective : état de conscience comportant des dispositions… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ambivalence — is a state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing.[1] Stated another way, ambivalence is the experience of having thoughts and/or emotions of both positive and negative valence toward someone or something. A common… …   Wikipedia

  • ambivalence — ambivalence, ambivalency ambivalency . 1. mixed feelings or emotions; uncertainty or vacillation in making a choice. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] 2. (Psychol.) the simultaneous existence within a person of both positive and negative feelings toward another …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ambivalence — noun dubiety, dubitancy, equivocalness, hesitation, incertitude, indecision, indecisiveness, indeterminacy, indetermination, irresoluteness, irresolution, mental reservation, prevarication, uncertainty, undecidedness, undetermination, vacillation …   Law dictionary

  • ambivalence — (n.) simultaneous conflicting feelings, 1924 (1912 as ambivalency), from Ger. Ambivalenz, coined 1910 by Swiss psychologist Eugen Bleuler (1857 1939) on model of Ger. Equivalenz equivalence, etc., from L. ambi both (see AMBI (Cf. ambi )) +… …   Etymology dictionary

  • ambivalence — [n] equivocation confusion dilemma, doubt, fluctuation, haze, hesitancy, hesitation, iffiness*, inconclusiveness, indecision, irresoluteness, muddle, quandary, tentativeness, uncertainty, unsureness; concept 564 Ant. certainty, decisiveness …   New thesaurus

  • ambivalence — [am biv′ə ləns] n. [ AMBI + VALENCE] simultaneous conflicting feelings toward a person or thing, as love and hate: also Chiefly Brit. ambivalency ambivalent adj. ambivalently adv …   English World dictionary

  • ambivalence —    by Marc Schuster   Ambivalence is a slippery term whose definition and significance has shifted throughout Baudrillard s career. One constant, however, is that ambivalence always calls into question the legitimacy of value. For Baudrillard,… …   The Baudrillard dictionary

  • ambivalence — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ deep, profound ▪ She feels a profound ambivalence about her origins. ▪ moral, sexual VERB + AMBIVALENCE ▪ fe …   Collocations dictionary

  • Ambivalence — Le terme ambivalence a été introduit en 1910 par Eugen Bleuler pour caractériser un aspect de l état psychique des schizophrènes. Il a été repris par Sigmund Freud dans une acception différente: il s agit de la juxtaposition plus ou moins… …   Wikipédia en Français

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