Thesis statement

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The thesis statement states the thesis or argument of the author in a thesis paper, essay, or similar document. It is a non-focused section of text that clearly delineates the argument that will be presented in a proposed paper. A thesis statement should be prepared in advance for all types of scientific writing, and can be anywhere from just one sentence to many pages in length. A thesis statement answers a research question.

It is a useful instrument for investigating the scope of the proposed paper in order to determine if it is too broad or too narrow. It is not intended to remain fixed, but can be adapted throughout the process of writing the paper as new arguments are discovered or old arguments are deemed to be irrelevant.

The thesis statement is often used in an adapted form at the beginning of the finished paper. It is considered to be better writing not to introduce the thesis statement with the words "The purpose of this paper is to..." but to reword it to make clear what will be following, and thus it is often found after a brief motivation for writing the paper.

Ambivalence

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Ambivalence is a state of having simultaneous, conflicting feelings toward a person or thing.^[1] Stated another way, ambivalence is the experience of having thoughts and emotions of both positive and negative valence toward someone or something. A common example of ambivalence is the feeling of both love and hatred for a person. The term also refers to situations where "mixed feelings" of a more general sort are experienced, or where a person experiences uncertainty or indecisiveness concerning something. The expressions "cold feet" and "sitting on the fence" are often used to describe the feeling of ambivalence.

The word "ambivalent" derives from the Latin prefix ambi, meaning "both" and valence which is derived from the Latin valentia, meaning "strength". It is common to use the word "ambivalent" to describe a lack of feelings one way or the other towards issues or circumstances. A more specific and conventionally accepted word to use in this case, however, would be "indifferent".^[2] A good way to remember proper usage is to remember that the prefix ambi means "both", so if you are "ambivalent", you have both positive and negative feelings towards something, or have feelings for both sides of an issue.

Ambivalence is experienced as psychologically unpleasant when the positive and negative aspects of a subject are both present in a person's mind at the same time. This state can lead to avoidance or procrastination, or to deliberate attempts to resolve the ambivalence. When the situation does not require a decision to be made, people experience less discomfort even when feeling ambivalent.^[3]