From Fear to Flow

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Uncertainty orientation

Introduction

One theory which describes diversity in how people interact with information is that of uncertainty orientation (Sorrentino et al., 2003). This model illustrates a difference in how uncertain situations are conceived and approached. While some people feel positively challenged by uncertainty, for others it is only taxing. This basic attitude and reaction towards unclear conditions are often related to an underlying conception of uncertainty as either fundamentally energizing or draining. Consequently an uncertain situation does not by any means automatically prompt a need to clarify and explore it. Under some circumstances, yes, uncertainty would trigger an interest in finding out more, which in turn ...