Introduction
Jealousy characteristically denotes the pessimistic feelings and emotions of diffidence, fright and anxiety that arise when one supposes that a valued thing, for example a relationship or proficiency, is being endangered by something or someone. For instance it might be a competitor or by others’ dissimilar skill set. Jealousy habitually is comprised of a blend of psychological states of rage, melancholy and revulsion. It may be caused by various factors and in many cases may be harmful to all involved parties. However as this dissertation points out there may be ways to overcome such feelings. (Mullen, 2001)
Causes
The following factors may individually trigger jealousy or it may also be the outcome of two or more of the factors working in consort:
- Insecurity: It is the emotion which arises when one lacks the feeling of being secure about something. It crops up when a person experiences insecurity regarding a future facet of life or may feel a sense of fear about losing some possession. Such feelings often lead up to jealousy.
- Low Self-esteem: A primary reason for feeling jealous is one’s doubt about his/her own competence, aptitude or skills. To add to it if one feels negatively about his/her outward appearance the self-esteem is lowered and it is highly probable that the person may experience jealousy.
- Past Relationships: Unless a person is in a relationship which is the first serious relationship of the partner, there are a lot of emotions which arise due to the partners feelings towards his/her past relationships which may cause jealousy. (Barelds, & Barelds-Dijkstra, 2007)
Types of Jealousy
Various studies indicate that the types of situations that primarily cause jealousy can be marked as:
Sibling jealousy: Sibling rivalry is a very common happening which is caused when a child feels jealous about his/her brother’s or sister’s possessions, achievement or other people’s attitude towards them.
Friend jealousy: It is mainly considered to be an adolescent jealousy, and occurs when one fears losing a friend due to the friend affinity towards a third person.
Work or Power jealousy: This form of jealousy is generally observed at workplaces when someone else gets a promotion instead of the affected person or there is some disparity in the salary levels or different work-oriented issue.
Romantic jealousy: It is a widely substantiated fact that people involved in a romantic relationship often undergo fights due to jealousy and this kind of jealousy is often associated with infidelity. (Nickerson & Zenger, 2008)
Counterargument
Some experts feel that in some cases jealousy might be an advantageous behavior. A good relationship must always allow space to express one’s insecurities. Expressing jealousy may also convey the feeling of possessiveness and compassion to the partner. Between friends, these sparks of jealousy can stimulate all to accomplish more out of their relationship.
Problems caused by jealousy
The insecurities and fear involved in jealousy often pushes the affected person to invade into the private space of the other/others involved in the relationship. It also may cause irritation in others and may be threatening to the relationship itself. In worst cases it has proved to be a major factor due to which people sever their bonds. In cases where people cannot vent out their emotions associated with jealousy, frustrations start building up and the affected is driven to hurt himself/herself in some manner or cause some self-sabotage. (Nickerson & Zenger, 2008) In extreme cases jealousy affects the victim in a deep psychological manner. The person starts showing signs of mental degeneration and occasionally engages in violent activities.
Overcoming Jealousy
Jealousy most of the time invokes negative psychological emotions which led to destructive consequences. Thus it is essential for people affected with jealousy to overcome such emotion in order to stay in a positive frame of mind and ensure psychological wellbeing. Jealousy is a composite emotion with many negative mental states like insecurity, anger, fear, anxiety etc. bundled up together. Identifying the root cause of the jealousy is important to overcome the difficulties associated with it. Building up self-esteem and not comparing oneself to others may be the starting points so as to surmount such negative thoughts. (Stenner & Rogers, 1998)
Conclusion
Jealousy is an intricate psychological state. Various researches indicate that there may be more than one factor affecting the human mind which might lead to jealousy. Although sometimes it might be desirable and flattering it exhibits serious and harmful consequences. It threatens to destroy relationships and hampers mental healthiness. Thus to stay psychologically healthy one must make efforts to overcome such feelings.
References
Barelds, D. P. H & Barelds-Dijkstra, P. (2007). Relations between different types of jealousy and self and partner perceptions of relationship quality. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 14(3), 176-188. 10.1002/cpp.532
Mullen, P. (2001). Jealousy and the emergence of violent and intimidating behaviours. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. 6(3), 199-205. DOI: 10.1002/cbm.94
Nickerson, J. A. & Zenger, T.R. (2008). Envy, comparison costs, and the economic theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal. 29(13), 1429-1449. DOI: 10.1002/smj.718
Stenner, P & Rogers, R. S. (1998). Jealousy as a manifold of divergent understandings: a Q methodological investigation. European Journal of Social Psychology. 28(1), 71-94. 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0992(199801/02)28:1<71::AID-EJSP846>3.0.CO;2-D