Ventham, Elizabeth and Coninx, Sabrina (2025) The Benefits of Ambivalence and the Context of Suicide Intervention. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Critics of ambivalence see it as something of inherent disvalue: a sign of poorly functioning agency. Instead, this chapter challenges this assumption, outlining the potential benefits of ambivalence for well-functioning agency, using criteria of rationality, agential effectiveness, autonomy, and authenticity. Furthermore, by exploring the interplay between philosophical debates on ambivalence and psychological research on suicide, the chapter shows how insights from each field can inform the other. For example, it follows that fostering ambivalence, rather than eliminating it, can sometimes support more effective suicide interventions, while ambivalence alone should not be seen as a marker of deficient agency and thus as justification for paternalistic measures.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Ventham, Elizabeth 0000-0002-8759-5339 Coninx, Sabrina 0000-0003-1209-4609
Keywords:	ambivalence, rationality, agential effectiveness, autonomy, authenticity, suicidal agency, suicidal ambivalence
Subjects:	General Issues > Decision Theory Specific Sciences > Medicine Specific Sciences > Psychology
Depositing User:	Dr. Sabrina Coninx
Date Deposited:	28 Jul 2025 12:55
Last Modified:	28 Jul 2025 12:55
Item ID:	26046
Subjects:	General Issues > Decision Theory Specific Sciences > Medicine Specific Sciences > Psychology
Date:	2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26046

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