Jealousy is the green-eyed monster, the dragon that lives beneath your bed, the swelling at your throat. It is a collective state of feeling that includes displeasure or resentment at the thought or sight of a rival’s success or happiness. It typically involves a mixture of negative feelings such as envy and anger, but may also include feelings of insecurity, helplessness and sadness.
Essay on Jealousy | Types, Effects & Ways to Deal it
Jealousy is defined as the feeling of anger or displeasure over an idea that someone you are closely involved with (e.g., partner) may prefer someone else. It can also refer to the fear of losing someone you love, especially in relation to a rival.
Jealousy is based on the concept of exclusivity; for example, one person may feel that their partner is theirs and theirs alone, and find it objectionable to share them with others. Jealousy can either be suspicious or reactive .
Types of Jealousy
There are two types of jealousy: Romantic Relationship-based Jealousy (RRBJ) which is more common among females, usually focused on the romantic partner; and Social Comparison-Based Jealousy (SCBJ), more common among males, and involves social comparisons.
>>> Similar Post: Essay on Pride & its Impacts
Causes of Jealousy
Most of the time, we feel jealous because of personal incompleteness and fear. We find that we’re not good enough for our partner and they might find someone better than us. And we get really afraid by losing the person we love. So in order to avoid losing them, we try to put lots of effort on keeping them from going out with others.
Jealousy is also often the result of feeling neglected, insecure, inadequate, vulnerable or suspecting infidelity. Infidelity is considered to be a form of dishonesty that results in feelings of jealousy. However, sufferers of mental disorders may misinterpret innocent situations as being jealous-provoking; for example, paranoid people may distrust their significant other and believe them to be untrustworthy.
Consequences of Jealousy
Jealousy is related to self-esteem and feeling good about yourself. When people feel that they do not have enough attractive or desirable qualities, they become afraid of losing their partners to other people who may be more socially, financially, emotionally, intellectually or physically attractive.
This can lead to a pattern of controlling behavior, including attempts at micromanaging a partner’s contact with other people. In this case, jealousy may take the form of limiting one’s social circle or frequented gatherings as well as insisting on knowing where they are and who they are with all the time.
In extreme cases, jealousy can lead to violence or even murder, especially in cases where the perpetrator is in a current romantic relationship with the victim. It has been shown that jealousy often is an emotional response to a perception of threat coming from a perceived rival for example, as well as simply the perceived threat of losing an intimate partner to another person. Jealousy might arise more easily when people feel insecure in their relationship and when they doubt if their partners love, like or respect them enough.
Dealing with Jealousy
There are some steps that can help you deal with your jealousy: Make a list of all the things you don’t like about yourself. Now visualize how you’d feel if your partner was gone. Now make a list of things you like about yourself. Also, it is important for us to know the person whom we are, accept ourselves as who we are and be confident about our decisions.
Understanding oneself can help you develop your own identity that will allow you to have healthy relationships with others. And if you love yourself and know what your boundaries are, it is less likely that you will be jealous about a partner who cheats on you. So either you decide to learn how to deal with jealousy or get rid of your partner – one way or the other, finding a solution is essential for both your emotional health and happiness.
>>> Related Post: Essay on Anger, Causes & its Impacts
Conclusion
Jealousy is one of the most common causes of problems in relationships. So getting rid of this feeling can improve your relationship. Learn to deal with jealousy. It will be good for you and your partner. Jealousy doesn’t disappear on its own, so if it’s hurting you or your relationship, then change things now!