Ambiguity tolerance-intolerance is a proposed personality dimension describing how individuals respond to ambiguous stimuli, information that is unfamiliar, conflicting or simply too abundant to process easily, though whether it forms a genuinely distinct trait is disputed. A person intolerant of ambiguity tends to experience anxiety, read the situation as threatening, and cope by clinging rigidly to simplistic or inaccurate interpretations, while a person tolerant of ambiguity is more likely to stay neutral, remain flexible and adapt. Early research concentrated on intolerance of ambiguity specifically, which has been linked to prejudicial beliefs and the authoritarian personality. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ClaimAmbiguity tolerance-intolerance describes how individuals respond to ambiguous or conflicting information: an intolerant person experiences anxiety and rigidly imposes a simplistic interpretation, while a tolerant person remains flexible and adapts. 1 FAQs
Who introduced the idea of ambiguity tolerance-intolerance?
Else Frenkel-Brunswik introduced it formally in 1949.
The concept was formally introduced in 1949 through an article by Else Frenkel-Brunswik, who had developed it in her earlier work on ethnocentrism in children.
Sources
1. Ambiguity tolerance-intolerance (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first sentence
Ambiguity tolerance-intolerance refers to a proposed aspect of personality that influences how individuals respond to ambiguous stimuli, though whether it constitutes a distinct psychological trait is disputed.
Lead section, second sentence
When presented with such situations, ambiguity intolerant individuals are likely to experience anxiety and interpret the situation as threatening, and may attempt to avoid or ignore the ambiguity by rigidly adhering to inaccurate, simplistic interpretations.
History section, first sentence
Ambiguity tolerance-intolerance was formally introduced in 1949 through an article published by Else Frenkel-Brunswik, who developed the concept in earlier work on ethnocentrism in children.
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