Ambivalence is a phenomenon that transcends disciplinary divides and is associated with a myriad of mixed outcomes. Yet, identifying and representing the complexities of ambivalent experiences can be difficult using traditional qualitative methods. Thus, the goal of the present study was to advance a qualitative method, thematic co-occurrence analysis, to address this issue. To illustrate the usefulness of this method, I present a case study detailing 35 estranged adult children’s ambivalent responses and reactions to their parents’ (non)contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal seven themes and four (non)relationships between them that reflect (a) theme independence, (b) unilateral co-occurrence, (c) unbalanced co-occurrence, and (d) complementary co-occurrence. These findings advance a theory of ambivalence and corresponding method to aid in the future investigations of ambivalent phenomena.

中文翻译：

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主题共现分析：推进理论和定性方法来阐明矛盾的经历

矛盾心理是一种超越学科鸿沟的现象，并与无数混合结果相关联。然而，使用传统的定性方法可能难以识别和表示矛盾体验的复杂性。因此，本研究的目标是推进一种定性方法，即主题共现分析，以解决这个问题。为了说明这种方法的有用性，我提出了一个案例研究，详细说明了 35 名疏远的成年儿童在 COVID-19 大流行期间对父母（非）接触的矛盾反应和反应。研究结果揭示了七个主题和它们之间的四个（非）关系，反映了（a）主题独立性，（b）单边共现，（c）不平衡共现和（d）互补共现。