Chapter 15: Transcending Ambivalence: Overcoming the Ambiguity of Theory and Practices

Ambivalence¹ is a deeply ambiguous concept. Contributions to the present book, viewed all together, exemplify that verdict, as they are situated in the intellectual space among theory, phenomena, research practices, and basic assumptions about the world.

Starting from the latter—any possibility for inventing any notion of ambivalence becomes possible only if one axiomatically assumes that the phenomena of our interest involve more than one characteristic at the same time. In the case of common sense, the saying “Every coin has two sides” illustrates the fixed unity of opposites. Although the copresence of opposites is everywhere, the same commonsense patterns of thinking work against the possibility of seeing their duality. We enforce unitary identity on complex phenomena, forgetting the comparison that makes such asser¬tions possible. While claiming “this mountain is high,” we overlook that the height of the mountain is contrasted with the low valley next to it (Bleuler, 1914). In observing social acts, we guide ourselves to follow the Boolean logic—that tolerates no coexistence—in claiming “She is either a hero or a murderer” (Figure 15.1).