Intolerance of ambiguity can be a problem creating more problems

Some people tolerate ambiguity better than others who tend to see the world in black and white. The intolerance of ambiguity results in psychiatric symptoms of control, anxiety, depression, irritability, and compulsive behaviors such as drinking and drugging, pornography abuse, over working.

My mother used to call people who overthink things "worry warts."

How can people who have difficulity tolerating ambiguity and uncertainty be helped? The easy strategy for symptom relief is medication whether licitly subcribed by a health care professional or self administered having been obtained "off the street."

People who have difficulty with ambiguity have what is sometimes called an "insecure attachment style." Trust is a big challenge since negativity and pessimism are predominant thought processes. It helps if the person has relationships in which partners are reliable, honest, predictable and "there for them." The partner being non anxious, secure, and able to tolerate ambiguity is reassuring and soothing and the insecure person is able to "lower their guard" a bit and take a few bricks out the wall that they have surrounded themselves with to protect and defend themselves from the threat of future hurt.

People with difficulty tolerating ambiguity often are over controlling, rigid, stubborn, have a need to be right about everything, and insist that things be just so as they expect and demand. People they are in relationship with and trying to control often object to this style of interaction and the very things the controlling person was afraid of happening, happens. The attempt at controlling, and the other person objecting, rejecting and abandoning the person, is the very thing the person was trying to avoid by being so controlling in the first place and so there is a vicious cycle with the interaction escalating unitl a rupture occurs. In the extreme this interative pattern can lead to intimate partner violence, IPV.

Medications will not change the interpersonal activities engaged in this problematic situation. Often outside therapy individually and sometimes with couples and families can be helpful. The person with difficulty tolerating ambiguity needs help in managing their anxiety generated by uncertainty so they can manage their individual and interpersonal functioning in a more satisfying and fulfilling manner.

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