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" Ambivalence occurs when we feel both positively and negatively about a person or issue" (Thompson, Zana & Griffin, 1995) The Dynamics of Persuasion Communications and Attitudes in the 21st Century 4th Edition.

Ambivalence occurs when people hold seemingly contradictory attitudes towards the same concept, such as a baseball fan saying that their favorite team is clean, but believe that MLB is full of dirty players as a whole. Many people find themselves at odds when trying to balance morals and practicality as well. (Women being pro-life, but also being pro-choice in terms of abortion)

Many people also feel the need to mentally try and fix these contradictions. According to the model proposed by Robert P. Abelson, people attempt to fix such inconsistencies in four ways:

Denial, Bolstering, Differentiation and Transcendence. Robert P. Abelson (1959)

http://latuffcartoons.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/syria-apotheosis-of-barbarism.gif

This political cartoon illustrates a media display of ambivalence in respect to the conflict in Syria. Although general consensus indicates that most Americans disagree with the country participating in a foreign intervention and fueling the conflict further, this image implies that America is dealing to both sides, thus prolonging the foreign battles. The US Government supposedly taking an isolationist stand point yet still funding conflict proves to be a display of ambivalence in terms of American Foreign Policy.

First let it be said that consistent attitudes are obviously strong ones, and furthermore that strong attitudes are more likely to "persist over time, affect judgements, guide behavior and prove resistant to change" (Krosnick & Petty, 1995) Strong attitudes are also most likely based upon ethics or values which integrate emotions in to the attitude as well as the person generally being more knowledgeable about a topic they feel so passionately about, making the specific attitude resistant to change.

Both of these media examples

show Indiana Jones' consistent

negative attitude towards snakes,

reinforcing the fact that this attitude

in particular is a very strong one.

Ambivalence vs Attitude Consistency

Attitude Consistency

Ambivalence

Start at 20 seconds

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