Ambivalence In Relation Research Articles

Policy experimentation, everyday state informality, and contested cultural-creative entrepreneurial practices in urbanizing China

ABSTRACT Focusing on a state-run cultural creative industrial district in China, this paper examines how creative city policy, as a top-down experimental agenda, is embedded in the situated cultural and creative practices through informal urban governance at the local level, and how this informality reshapes the experiences and existing precariousness of creative entrepreneurs. Beyond the dichotomy of self-entrepreneurialism and state entrepreneurialism, this paper argues that urban cultural creative industries emerge from everyday conflicts and informal negotiations between creative entrepreneurs, local authorities, and indigenous communities in the context of policy experimentation. This process is facilitated specifically through two mechanisms: (1) political informality, which involves policy ambivalence, corruption, clientelism, and bureaucratic preferences in local state-business relations; and (2) social informality, which involves the informal social connections and cooperation between local residents and creative industries. This informality can fall on a spectrum ranging from para-formal to a-formal, depending on the degree of state intervention. While the para-formal can lead to negotiated forms of cultural production and innovation, the a-formal based on political performances and state-enlisted voluntarism may increase the precariousness and insecurity of creative entrepreneurs.

Mixed signals: Romantic jealousy and ambivalence in relationships.

Ambivalence (i.e., "mixed feelings") is a common and consequential experience in romantic relationships, but not much is known about which aspects of relationships are likely to elicit it. We investigated whether romantic jealousy (experienced by the individual and perceived in one's partner) is associated with stronger ambivalence toward the partner. Four studies (N = 1,466; participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) employing cross-sectional, daily diary, longitudinal, and experimental methodologies showed that experiencing romantic jealousy and perceiving one's partner as romantically jealous are positively associated with ambivalence toward the partner. Participants experiencing higher jealousy reported simultaneously higher perceived partner mate value but also lower trust toward their partner, which in turn increased feelings of ambivalence. Furthermore, participants who perceived their partner to be more jealous saw them as simultaneously highly committed to the relationship but also untrusting, in turn increasing feelings of ambivalence. These findings contribute to the literature on ambivalence in romantic relationships by highlighting an important relationship dynamic that increases ambivalent feelings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Mixed Signals: Romantic Jealousy and Ambivalence in Relationships

Supplemental Material for Mixed Signals: Romantic Jealousy and Ambivalence in Relationships

Alone and together in domestic space: navigating spatial and conceptual relationship boundaries in Finnish small-scale communes

This article explores the ways residents of Finnish small-scale communes navigate boundaries between personal separateness and the group’s togetherness within a domestic space. Studies on communal living have shed light on the ambivalence in communal relations, where people choose to live together but simultaneously remain independent from one another. However, the ways space affects their navigations of this ambivalence have not yet been analysed in detail. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews with residents of Finnish small-scale communes, floor plans drawn by interviewees of their homes and two ethnographic fieldwork periods, I argue that navigations of the residents’ separateness and unity are deeply intertwined with spatial processes and that the sensory and embodied spatial connections complicate the possibilities of distinguishing the individual from the group. Communal dwellers navigated their mutual boundaries through their daily use of the spaces, which centred embodied acts, spatial orientations and sensory experiences.

Ethical dilemmas of translanguaging pedagogy in L2 and basic literacy education for adults: social justice and ethics of care

ABSTRACT This paper explores the ethical challenges and possibilities of conducting responsible and transformative translanguaging pedagogy in adult education for second language learners with limited previous experience of schooling. We identify and explore ethical dilemmas in teachers’ interaction and multilingual teaching practices. The data was produced in a linguistic ethnography and action research project. It consists of classroom observations and interviews with teachers who teach in the programme Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). The teachers express and embody ambivalence in relation to the students’ use of their whole linguistic repertoires and the students are not always treated as competent to make informed decisions about their own use of linguistic repertoires. This touches on issues of citizenship and democracy and here the framework ethics of care offers context-specific ways of understanding and responding to the ethical challenges of multilingual teaching.

Russian-Spanish Relations During the Development of North American Territories in the Second Half of the 18th century

The article is about the relations between Russia and Spain in the second half of the 18th century. The article identifies the factors that influenced the nature of the emerging interaction between the powers: it shows the ambivalence of Russian-Spanish relations, on the one hand, due to the growing fears of the Spanish authorities provoked by Russia’s advance towards California, and, on the other, to the development of mutually beneficial trade relations. We draw attention to aspects related to Russia’s discovery of the Aleutian archipelago and Alaska and the activity of Russian merchants. The reaction of the Spanish court to messages of Spanish diplomats in Russia about Russian discoveries in America is shown. The analysis of the texts of diplomatic reports (1761−1792) has shown that the Spanish ambassadors were skeptical about the success of Russian expeditions to the American continent but changed their mind in the second half of 1760s. The article also examines the trade and economic aspect in the relations between the powers, showing the intention of Spain and Russia to establish direct trade. At the same time, we note that the nature of such interaction was influenced by the general political situation, which was determined by the leading powers of that time. The article has been written using historical and philological methods and approaches and aims to show the various aspects and stages of Russian-Spanish relations during the period of colonization of the Northwest of America. The results of the study can be used in practical activities of diplomatic services within the framework of international dialogue.

부모의 심리적 통제가 대학생의 이성 간 비현실적 기대에 미치는 영향: 정서표현 양가성에 의한 부적응적 완벽주의의 조절된 매개효과

Objectives: This study was conducted to verify the moderated mediating effect of maladaptive perfectionism by ambivalence over emotional expression in the effect of parental psychological control on unrealistic expectations among romantic relationships of university students. Method: Data collected for this study were analyzed for correlation, mediating effect, and moderating effect of major variables applying SPSS 26 and PROCESS macro 4.0, and a boosting algorithm was employed to verify significance. Results: The influence of parents' psychological control on the unrealistic expectations of university students and the moderating effect of ambivalence of emotional expression on maladaptive perfectionism were confirmed. Conclusions: As a result of the study, it has been confirmed that relational ambivalence lowers mind reading among unrealistic expectations in romantic relationships. Therefore, it suggests that if you recognize and practice the importance of expressing emotions through counseling, you can help restore emotional communication and form healthy relationships.

Sexual Minorities’ Uncertainty About Their Romantic Partner’s Communication With Their Family: Applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management

Using the theory of motivated information management (TMIM), this study tested the degree to which sexual minorities’ uncertainty discrepancy about their partner’s communication about their relationship to their family of origin predicted their information management strategies and relational quality (i.e., closeness and satisfaction). Participants included 111 sexual minorities involved in a monogamous romantic relationship. Results supported the theoretic logic of the TMIM, as uncertainty discrepancy positively predicted negative emotions, which in turn negatively predicted SMs’ outcome expectancies and efficacy assessments but positively predicted direct and indirect information seeking. Indirect effects emerged for uncertainty discrepancy on direct information seeking and information avoidance, as well as for relational closeness and satisfaction, via the mechanisms specified by the TMIM. Importantly, this study reveals relational ambivalence that sexual minorities may experience as a result of managing their uncertainty about their partner’s relationship disclosures to their partner’s family-of-origin.

Causes of Ambivalence in Nepal and America Relations

The United States of America and Nepal have worked together in many different fields after establishing bilateral diplomatic relations in 1947. The USA has been contributing to development sectors like infrastructure development. Still, there is a growing ambivalence among Nepali Youths, especially on the nature of their bilateral relationship. However, Nepal’s political parties have different perspectives on how America is engaged in Nepal. In 2022 Nepal ratified Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) from the parliament under fierce criticism and strong protests from some political parties, their sister wings, and even Civil Society Groups. Their protests were primarily concerned with the feeling that both countries have no equal status in the bilateral relationship. There are a few questions on the nature of American presence in Nepal. Nepal is a geopolitically significant land between two emerging nations of the world; India and China. There is a history of American interference in different countries of the world that has become a source of ambivalence in Nepal. Left wings politicians are very doubtful of the role of the USA in Nepal, especially how it showed desperation in turmoil to ratify the MCC project. This context has fuelled mistrust against the USA in Nepal. Though the majority of the youths of Nepal dream of going to America at any cost, they are still protesting against the American presence in the country. The attraction of Nepali youths to Diversity Visa applications and strong street protests against MCC are full of juxtapositions. Why this duality exists in the mind of Nepali youths? This article aims to study the causes of ambivalence in the relationship between the nations.
 The United States of America and Nepal have worked together in many different fields after establishing bilateral diplomatic relations in 1947. The USA has been contributing to development sectors like infrastructure development. Still, there is a growing ambivalence among Nepali Youths, especially on the nature of their bilateral relationship. However, Nepal’s political parties have different perspectives on how America is engaged in Nepal. In 2022 Nepal ratified Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) from the parliament under fierce criticism and strong protests from some political parties, their sister wings, and even Civil Society Groups. Their protests were primarily concerned with the feeling that both countries have no equal status in the bilateral relationship. There are a few questions on the nature of American presence in Nepal. Nepal is a geopolitically significant land between two emerging nations of the world; India and China. There is a history of American interference in different countries of the world that has become a source of ambivalence in Nepal. Left wings politicians are very doubtful of the role of the USA in Nepal, especially how it showed desperation in turmoil to ratify the MCC project. This context has fuelled mistrust against the USA in Nepal. Though the majority of the youths of Nepal dream of going to America at any cost, they are still protesting against the American presence in the country. The attraction of Nepali youths to Diversity Visa applications and strong street protests against MCC are full of juxtapositions. Why this duality exists in the mind of Nepali youths? This article aims to study the causes of ambivalence in the relationship between the nations.

Migrant gardeners, health and wellbeing: exploring complexity and ambivalence from a UK perspective.

There has been increasing interest in how green spaces and gardening contribute to people's physical, mental and social wellbeing, and this interest has increased due to COVID-19. This article explores the particular experiences of migrant gardeners and the implications for their health and wellbeing. It draws on a qualitative research project that involved conducting semi-structured interviews with participants with migration heritage in and around a city in the north of England. The participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling; of the 25 participants, some were allotment holders, whilst the rest cultivated crops in their gardens or even on their balcony. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts generated themes that reflect current definitions of health, encompassing physical, mental and social wellbeing. However, whilst the findings confirm many positive effects of gardening, they also point to some ambivalence in relation to cultivation, outdoor practices and health, with evidence of neutral or even negative effects at times. The article explores the implications of these findings for initiatives to encourage gardening, such as social prescribing, and to address 'green poverty'. An additional finding is that for gardeners with migration heritage, gardening can be understood in terms of cultural wellbeing. Consequently, there is a need to broaden the concept of wellbeing to include this cultural dimension.

The existential ambivalence of the young Lermontov: Byron or the other?

This article analyzes the existential ambivalence of the artistic consciousness of the young Russian poet M. Yu. Lermontov, who both was and was not Byron. Evidence for that lies in the fact that Lermontov’s early works manifest the concept of anxiety described by Kierkegaard’s, which the Russian poet was forced to overcome, as well as the transitional ambivalence in relation to the key components of Byron’s psychology and aesthetics. This duality forced Lermontov to openly accept Byronic characters and the storylines animating them. Recognizing these common features, the author of the article shows how the discovered existential ambivalence eventually gave Lermontov a special independence from Byron. For his ambivalent attitude towards Byron pushed Lermontov away from romanticism, which Byron so vividly represented, and placed the Russian poet into post-Romanticism. Comparing the corsairs created by Byron and Lermontov, the author of the article concludes that Lermontov adopted the external attributes of Byron’s poem in structure, plot, setting, plot twists, and gloomy emotionality. At the same time, Lermontov weakened the dynamic potential of these attributes, turning the story inward, slowing down its pace, reducing the central character and generally refraining from aesthetic abundance, psychological efforts, and high morality, which gave Byron’s “Corsair” attractiveness. These weaknesses reflect an ambivalent attitude towards Byron from the very beginning of Lermontov’s writing activity. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that Lermontov was aware of the inconsistency of Romanticism with the spirit of his time, as a result of which Lermontov’s “non-byronic” poetry can be considered as a vivid example of the predicament of an artist experiencing the aesthetic influence of an authoritative current in a transitional period when the artist simultaneously reveres, doubts, and departs from an outstanding model along with the ideals of the era that he inexorably leaves behind, plunging into the unknown abyss of a new cultural direction.

SOCIOEMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE IN CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND TRAJECTORIES OF COGNITIVE AGING

Abstract Linked lives is a key tenet of the life course framework: Individuals age and develop in the company of a social convoy, or core set of relationships. The quality and quantity of relationships with friends and family are well-known predictors of physical and mental health outcomes, with research on how relationships affect cognitive health just beginning to blossom. This symposium presents four sociological studies of how positive and negative experiences in central, long-term personal relationships – marriages, parent-adult child relationships, and friendships – relate to cognition and the development of cognitive impairment over long periods of the life course, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). Stokes, Prasad, and Barooah find that experiences of loneliness in marriage are negatively related both to one’s own cognition and to the spouse’s cognition. Herd and Sicinski also highlight potential negative and gendered aspects of marriage, showing no differences in cognitive performance between married and single men, while married women’s cognition is not as strong as single women’s cognition. In parent-adult child relationships, Zhang and Liu demonstrate that social support has stronger positive effects, and social strain, stronger negative effects, for mothers as compared to fathers. Moorman and Pai examine friendships with non-kin, and find benefits of emotional and instrumental support to cognition in the long term. Discussant Lucas Hamilton will provide perspective from psychology, addressing ambivalence in relationships and the potential for bidirectional associations between social experience and cognitive function.

Consumers' attitudes to gourmet burgers: the case of the NOMA cheeseburger

PurposeThis article explores consumers' attitudes to the trend of gourmet burgers, notably the gourmet burgers' combination of highbrow food (gourmet) and lowbrow food (fast food). The authors use the case of the NOMA cheeseburger from the iconic New Nordic restaurant NOMA.Design/methodology/approachThe data set consists of interviews (n = 20) with urban Danish consumers attending the NOMA burger pop-up.FindingsThe analysis highlights an acceptance among informants of “gourmetfied” burgers. This signals a change in the culinary status of burgers in Danish food culture. The authors also discovered some ambivalence in relation to the highbrow-lowbrow negotiations: while all informants celebrate the casualization of NOMA during the burger pop-up, half of the informants found the burger underwhelming: it did not live up to the edginess of the NOMA brand.Practical implicationsThe authors believe this research can inform people working with culinary highbrow-lowbrow mix in their food designs, notably in relation to developing and matching the relation between symbolic and material aspects of the food design.Originality/valueThe authors argue that the concept of transgression can help us theorize how consumers accept, refuse, and negotiate boundaries in relation to gourmet burgers, and more generally between food consumption mixing highbrow and lowbrow elements. More particularly, the authors propose to distinguish between symbolic, social, and material transgressions. This perspective might also be interesting for practitioners in the field.

Ambivalence experienced by infertile couples undergoing IVF: a qualitative study

The emotional consequences of infertility are well documented. However, relatively few studies have emphasized the dyadic emotional interaction within couples, despite infertility being a shared life event. This study adopted a dyadic (between two people) approach to explore the emotional complexity that infertile couples face. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 24 participants, including eight infertile couples and eight wives undergoing infertility treatments. Conjoint and individual interviews were conducted through purposive sampling in a large fertility centre in Tianjin, China, between June and August 2015. Thematic analysis identified two main themes: (i) ‘decisional ambivalence’, with subthemes of ‘ambivalent attitudes towards treatment’, ‘uncertainty about treatment outcomes’, and ‘treatment-related lifestyle changes’; and (ii) ‘relational ambivalence’ which included subthemes of ‘intergenerational ambivalence’ and ‘partner ambivalence’. Complex emotions of ambivalence among infertile couples were common as infertility clearly shattered their assumptive world on family formation. With complex entanglement of mixed emotions, ambivalence was intimately associated with cultural norms, social expectations, and active or over engagement of family members in Chinese societies. Since ambivalence could threaten mental and physical health during pregnancy, healthcare professionals should be prepared to assist infertile couples with identifying, articulating, and normalizing decisional and relational ambivalence during the treatment process.

P-722 Ending the anonymity of egg donors in shared donation programs could reduce the number of participants

Abstract Study question Loss of egg donor anonymity could affect shared donation programs in Brazil? Summary answer Yes. Approximately 20% of the women who participated in this study would drop out of the program, especially those with higher incomes. What is known already The Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine seems to be increasingly flexible with regard to maintaining mandatory secrecy on the identity of donors. The resolution regarding assisted reproduction techniques, approved in 2021, concerns the possibility of donation between family members, up to fourth degree relatives. The possibility to know and have access to this identity or even the search for half-brothers can be a reality in many countries for children born through access to reproductive technology but the opinion or behaviour of this population about the presence or absence of anonymity is limited to a few studies. Study design, size, duration Women (n = 800) who applied for enrolment in the shared egg donation program at a private IVF clinic were invited to participate in an electronic survey developed using the online Survio® tool. The invitation to participate was sent by email from June to November 2021. 279 women (34.8%, 20-35 years) responded to the survey. Participants/materials, setting, methods The information was obtained through questioning and gaining information about: socioeconomic profile of the donors, their motives, ambivalence in relation to the sharing of eggs and feelings about a possible end of anonymity. Thereafter, answers given to 10 specific questions were recorded. Furthermore, a correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between acceptance of the end of donor anonymity and various study parameters. Main results and the role of chance Approximately 61% of patients would want to become egg donors for two reasons: to reduce IVF costs and to help another woman. However, significantly younger women want to be part of the egg donation program just to reduce their treatment costs (P < 0.05). Approximately 71% of women do not want any contact with the child born from their eggs; 69% of them would not like to meet the recipients and 75% would not like to meet the child, even if only the recipient had become pregnant. If donors lost a child, they would not even want to meet the child who was born with their donated eggs (76%). Most participants also responded that they would be in the program even if the anonymity was not maintained (80%). However, women with higher income would drop out of the program if donor anonymity was not maintained (56.3%) compared to women with lower income (13.5%;P < 0.001). Limitations, reasons for caution Confounding variables related to the male partner's opinion cannot be excluded. Studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings. Wider implications of the findings A possible end to the anonymity of egg donors in Brazil would pose numerous challenges to the current practice of gamete donation. These concerns give rise to a broad discussion in society about how best to safeguard and promote the interests of donor-conceived children and protect the rights of donors. Trial registration number Not applicable.

Couple healing from infidelity: a deductive qualitative analysis study

Infidelity is a relationship betrayal that can lead to multiple negative individual and relational outcomes. Multiple clinicians have developed practice-based models of couple healing from infidelity; however, few of these models have been systematically examined. One such model is Butler et al.’s clinical model, grounded in attachment theory and the concept of relational ambivalence. In the present study, we sought to systematically examine and refine Butler et al.’s model of couple healing from infidelity using deductive qualitative analysis of seven publicly available online blogs written by non-straying partners. Informed by the clinically based model, we generated sensitizing constructs and engaged in open, focused, and theoretical coding. Our results support several key components of the original model, while also suggesting refinements to the concept of ambivalence for straying partners as well as couple-level responses. Our results suggest that a meaningful expansion to the original model is non-straying partners’ efforts to heal individually throughout the entire healing process. We suggest clinical implications and opportunities for future research based on our analysis.

Emotions and narratives of the spirit of Gallipoli: Turkey’s collective identity and status in international relations

ABSTRACT This article examines Turkish narratives of the Gallipoli Campaign fought during the First World War, based on newspaper archival research covering the last 50 years. It argues that the memorialization of the Gallipoli Campaign reflects collective emotions underpinning Turkish national identity and self-perceptions of ambivalence in international relations. Compared with the Sèvres Treaty, which is the most frequently cited episode of the First World War in the context of Turkish history, the Dardanelles Victory provides a more nuanced understanding of Turkish collective identity and international status. Fought primarily against the British and resulting in victory, the narratives reveal emotions related to humiliation and betrayal, as well as desires for validation vis-à-vis Europe. However, the spirit of Gallipoli also signifies the birth of collective consciousness, restoration of honour after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and compassion for the victimized soldiers of the opposing side. Thus, the different memorialization of the First World War, especially in contrast to Europe, sets Turkey’s status above the colonized nations while manifesting aspirations to place Turkey on an equal footing with the West. This duality in the narratives reproduces Turkey’s own understanding of its ambivalence and liminal status between the West and the East.

Vicissitudes and Their Inscriptions

Abstract In his marking of the consequential vicissitudes that attend the more primary instincts, Freud articulates history as the discursive operation of the psychoanalytic undertaking. But his ambivalence toward the requisite writing of that articulated history comes through when he introduces the narrative genre of the case study. The first part of this article examines Freud’s implicit proposition that psychoanalysis is a complex articulation of history in that symptoms are noted and inscribed as consequential, present indicators of causal instincts (Triebe) that have been variously and “fatefully” rerouted. The second part reads Freud’s defensive presentation of the first case history, the “broken fragment” of Dora and her hysteria, considering Freud’s ambivalence toward his own historiographic operation. Freud’s ambivalence in relation to his new genre of narrative writing illustrates the more general productive ambivalence of historiography as outlined by Michel de Certeau.

Mixed and conflicted: The role of ambivalence in romantic relationships in light of attractive alternatives.

People in romantic relationships tend to have positive feelings toward their partner and want their relationship to last. However, maintaining a romantic relationship over time is challenging, and people can often experience mixed and conflicting feelings (i.e., ambivalence) toward their significant other. While research has identified the serious consequences that ambivalence can have for personal and relational well-being, very little is known about the factors that can lead people to experience ambivalence in relationships. The present work examines how extradyadic desire (i.e., desire for someone other than the partner), a common difficulty people face in the context of monogamy, is a situation in which people feel more ambivalent toward their partner. In three studies (N = 1,178) using experimental, daily diary, and longitudinal approaches, we find that feelings of desire for an attractive alternative increase ambivalence toward the current partner, above and beyond how much people actually value their partner, and that this has short- and long-term negative consequences for personal and relational well-being. Furthermore, while most people could identify an attractive alternative in their life, desire for the alternative-rather than just their presence-seems to play a stronger role in increasing ambivalence. This work highlights the emotional processes through which attractive alternatives pose a threat to romantic relationships and the role that ambivalence plays in daily life and over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The paradoxical self: duality and ambiguity in the works and lives of Oscar Wilde and Morrissey

Oscar Wilde’s and Morrissey’s lives seem to be full of contradictions. Their art constitutes a reaction against materialism, traditional lifestyle and social standards, as well as defence of individualism and freedom of thought. So far, their works have been analysed only from a very limited perspective of the tension between aesthetics and ethics. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that what prevails in their art is the state of ambivalence and ambiguity in relation to the issues connected with religion and morality, innocence and experience, life and death. This article aims at demonstrating multiplicity of personalities of the artists mentioned and ethical ambivalences of their works. Taken together, Wilde and Morrissey’s creative outputs present a clash between different spheres of life, the divided consciousness and the split between body and soul. Thus, the oscillation between opposite standpoints and values excluding each other is not only the result of the artists’ personal experience but it may symbolise the paradox and absurdity of the human existence as well.