Bittersweet: The Neuroscience of Ambivalent Affect

Ambivalent affective states, such as bittersweetness, nostalgia, and longing, which are felt as having both positive and negative aspects, are an important component of human experience but have received little attention. The most influential theoretical frameworks in affective neuroscience focus largely on univalenced states. As a result, it is not known whether ambivalent affect corresponds to a simultaneously positive and negative valenced state or whether it results from a rapid vacillation between positive and negative states. Here we hypothesize that ambivalent affect involves both mechanisms, that is, rapid vacillation and simultaneity of positive and negative affect, albeit at different neurobiological levels. Rapidly vacillating univalent emotions could give rise to an ambivalent feeling, a mechanism that depends on brainstem nuclei that facilitate rapid action programs of emotional behavior while inhibiting opposing behaviors. This reciprocal inhibition prevents organisms from simultaneously implementing responses to conflicting emotions but also allows for rapid switching between emotions triggered by counterfactual thinking and rapid reappraisal of situations. We propose that as these transitions occur and respective interoceptive information reaches the insular cortex, further processing of this “emotional moment” would allow separate emotional events to be experienced as one “mixed” and integrated feeling.

The experiences of colorectal cancer patients in postoperative recovery: integrative review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the experiences and needs of colorectal cancer patients during postoperative recovery. Design/methodology/approach This study is an integrative review, conducted by CINAHL, PubMed, ScienceDirect and ThaiJO from 2009 to 2019. Ten research articles published have been selected by PRISMA process. Findings Results show the experiences of colon cancer patients during postoperative recovery consisted of four themes, namely suffering, decreased activity, ambivalent feeling and need of caring. Research limitations/implications The health care personnel should be aware of these experiences and give holistic care in order to let the patients free from unpleasant experiences and receive the responses which really meet their needs. Originality/value Knowledge about the experience and needs of colorectal cancer patients after surgery is of great benefit to healthcare providers who are planning the care, so as to achieve complete holistic care in the future research.

The Polish Peasant Movement and the Jews: The Polish Peasant Movement and the Jews, 1918-39

The relationship between peasant and Jew in Poland has presented a complex picture of mutual dependency and ambivalent feeling for centuries. Each needed the other for economic survival, yet simultaneously they often regarded each other with suspicion, mistrust, and, occasionally, loathing and fear. Nonetheless, until the emergence of a formally organized peasant movement in the late nineteenth century, it was extremely difficult to measure the actual perceptions and attitudes the peasantry held regarding the Jews. This essays traces the evolution of the stance toward the Polish Jews adopted by the peasant movement in the independent Polish Republic between the two world wars. It notes the passage of this stance from varieties of political indifference and economic concern through a phase of overt anti-Semitism, to the final stage of de-emphasizing the “Jewish Question” as a major factor in the political program and strategy of the movement.

Permissive Attitudes toward Alcohol Abuse among Young Military Dependents

This paper focuses upon patterns of alcohol abuse and permissiveness among a sample of 230 high school students residing in a U. S. military community in Europe. Patterns of abuse are seen as symptomatic of the military life style and the homogeneity of the environment surrounding the respondents. Analysis of data shows limited relationships between certain personal background variables and the tendency toward permissiveness. Such variables as sex and religious affiliation were significant in predicting degree of permissiveness. On the other hand age, socioeconomic status, ethnic background and length of stay abroad failed to show any difference between the respondents. Other analysis indicates lack of knowledge concerning basic facts regarding beverage alcohol and a general rejection or ambivalent feeling toward alcohol education.