The present invention relates to improved viscosification agents for a variety of aqueous solutions which comprise a family of intramolecular polymeric complexes (i.e., polyampholytes) which are terpolymers of acrylamide/metal styrene sulfonate/methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium chloride (MAPTAC).The metal styrene sulfonate is an anionic monomer, while MAPTAC is cationically charged. These acrylamide-based polyampholytes have approximately 1 to about 50 mol % of the anionic monomer and approximately 1 to about 50 mole % of the cationic moiety present within the macromolecular structure. These groups are not necessarily present in an equimolar charge ratio. The excess undissociated charge allows for facile dispensability or solubility of the polyampholytes into fresh water.