Emotional Expressior 1 Ambivalence Over Expressing Emotion: Psychological and Physical Implications

Ambivalence about expressing emotion has been suggested as mediating the relationship betwen inhibition and psychological and psychosomatic distress. A study was conducted to examine the relationship of ambivalence over emotional expression to psychological and physical well-being through the "personal striving" framework. Measures of ambivalence over expression, actual expressiveness, and psychological and physical well-being were admin stered to 75 undergraduate students. A separate group of 48 subjects completed daily mood and symptom report for 3 weeks. Ambivalence over expressing was positively related to measures of negative a2fectivity, and negatively related to life satisfaction. Ambivalence scores were also significantly correlated with several of the ill-being measures, including daily reported physical symptoms. Actual expressiveness showed weaker relationships with the criterio