ambivalences
Conflicting emotional states
Ambivalences is the plural of ambivalence—states of having mixed or contradictory feelings about something.
Where ambivalence often appears as an uncountable noun describing the general condition, ambivalences emphasizes distinct instances: Her ambivalences about motherhood surfaced at different stages of pregnancy.
The word suggests multiple simultaneous conflicts rather than a single torn feeling.
Emotionally at odds
- tornPulled into pieces
- mixed feelingsConflicting emotional responses
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
indecision · wavering · inner conflict · doubt · ambiguity · push-pull · contradiction · oscillation
Simultaneous attraction and aversion
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- family dynamicsInterplay among household members
resentment · loyalty · obligation · attachment · detachment · intimacy · distancing · commitment
Unconscious self-protective mental process
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- neurosisFunctional mental disorder
anxiety · attachment · approach-avoidance · cognitive dissonance · unconscious · transference · countertransference · resistance
Being of present times
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- progressMovement toward improvement
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
- identityWho someone is
assimilation · heritage · nostalgia · change · preservation · colonialism · postcolonial · hybridity
conflicted
Emotionally at odds
- tornPulled into pieces
- mixed feelingsConflicting emotional responses
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
hesitation · indecision · wavering · inner conflict · doubt · ambiguity · push-pull · contradiction · oscillation · vacillation
love-hate
Simultaneous attraction and aversion
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
family dynamics · resentment · loyalty · obligation · attachment · detachment · intimacy · distancing · commitment · avoidance
defense mechanism
Unconscious self-protective mental process
- FreudFounder of psychoanalysis
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
neurosis · anxiety · attachment · approach-avoidance · cognitive dissonance · unconscious · transference · countertransference · resistance · therapy
modernity
Being of present times
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- progressMovement toward improvement
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
identity · assimilation · heritage · nostalgia · change · preservation · colonialism · postcolonial · hybridity · authenticity
ambivalencescertainties
Assured truths
convictions · certitudes · sureness · single-mindedness · wholeheartedness
ambivalencesresolutions
Formal decisions or pledges
commitments · determinations · decisiveness · resolve · dedication
ambivalencescommitments
Promises requiring follow-through
dedications · resolutions · devotions · determinations · allegiances