This word means ‘having a mixed feeling, a divided will’ or ‘being of two minds’ about something. Ambivalence as a term can be used or applied in many different contexts. For example, you may be ambivalent towards yourself _ thinking good of or bad of yourself, ruining your life or upbuilding your life: You may be ambivalent towards people you meet in life _ staying to love them or to hate them.
You may be ambivalent towards your parents _ loving, needing and appreciating them for all they have done for you, yet having suppressed anger and hatred or resentment against them by the way you live your life or treat them in their presence or absence.
You may be ambivalent about certain courses of action or attitudes: you want to be loved, appreciated, but you wouldn’t do same to others. You want to be fit and well, but you find compensation in being ill and receiving sympathy, so you are ambivalent about getting better.
You could be ambivalent about asserting your independence, because though you want to be free to live your own life, you may be still emotionally dependent upon the protectiveness of some well meaning friends.
Many people do not achieve things for which they consciously strive, because deep down there are opposite feelings at work _ they are ambivalent.
Sometimes, our conscious aims of pursuing a particular course of life may well be positive but, sadly, our unconscious aims are sometimes the reverse, because our emotional development has taken an unfortunate turn. Yes, worthy of note on this issue is that wherever there is ambivalence, nearly always the result is lack of achievement, lack of satisfaction and happiness.
So I ask: as a passionate volunteered members of the Various Community Development Service (CDS), are you ambivalent about why you are in a particular CDS group? Are you contemplating of leaving, probably to join another CDS group? What is holding you back from contributing your quota to move your CDS forward?
Let us look out for this in our lives. Perhaps you want promotion; to work in a particular media house, but parts of you dreads the responsibility of commitment and thus lack of result, invariably causing you to lose future privileges of service.
Parts of you wants to enjoy live, but part of you finds a secret satisfaction in being a martyr, and if you are not careful it is the unconscious, negative motivations which win the day. So be on your guard! Beware of ambivalence!
NWEKE MCDUKE CHIBUZOR BY/11B /0271
