PrintShare
Export citation
Text size Increase font sizeDecrease font size
Encyclopedia of Social Psychology

iconEncyclopedia

Encyclopedia of Social Psychology

Roy F. Baumeister & Kathleen D. Vohs

Pub. date: 2007 | Online Pub. Date: October 03, 2007 | DOI: 10.4135/9781412956253 | Print ISBN: 9781412916707 | Online ISBN: 9781412956253| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.

About this encyclopedia
Text size

Jealousy

Christine R. Harris

Jealousy is an unpleasant emotion that arises when one perceives that some important aspect of one's relationship with another, or the relationship itself, is being threatened by someone else (a rival). For example, a person is likely to experience jealousy if his or her romantic partner appears to be emotionally or sexually interested in someone else. The term jealousy also applies to feelings that arise in other types of interpersonal relationships, such as when children exhibit distress over parents showering attention on a new sibling or when a person feels upset over being excluded by friends who are socializing together. Thus, jealousy requires the involvement of three individuals (the self, the partner, and the rival), which is sometimes referred to as a love triangle. The proposed function of jealousy is to motivate behaviors that will reestablish the relationship between the self and the partner and break up the threatening liaison ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.