Ambiguity and uncertainty

Humans vary in how comfortable we are with uncertainty or ambiguity: Tolerance of ambiguity is a construct discussed in cognitive and experimental research literature, and refers to the willingness to prefer black and white situations, where “there is an aversive reaction to ambiguous situations because the lack of information makes it difficult to assess risk and correctly make a decision. These situations are perceived as a threat and source of discomfort. Reactions to the perceived threat are stress, avoidance, delay, suppression, or denial” (Furnham & Marks, 2013, p. 718).  Tolerance to uncertainty is often discussed in relation to response to stress and emotions associated with being in an ambiguous situation, or it may refer to a future-oriented trait where an individual is responding to an ambiguous situation in the present. Suffice to say, for some individuals the need to be certain and clear means they find it very difficult to be in situations where multiple outcomes are possible and where information is messy. As a result, they find ways to counter the unease, ranging from avoiding making a decision to authoritatively dictating what “should” be done (or not done). How does this affect us in a clinical setting? Well, both parties in this setting can have varying degrees of comfort with ambiguity. Our clients may find it difficult to deal with not knowing their diagnosis, the cause of their painful experience, the time-frame of its resolu...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Assessment Clinical reasoning Coping strategies Pain Pain conditions Professional topics acceptance ambiguity healthcare pain management Research Therapeutic approaches treatment uncertainty Source Type: blogs