The jealousy is a phenomenon that we cannot understand from a single definition that explains all the cases of jalousy.

That’s why it’s useful to talk about types of jealousy , or ways in which jealousy can be expressed and expressed materially through behaviour.

What kind of jealousy is there?

Here you can see a brief outline of the different characteristics that jealousy can have, and how it manifests itself in different situations and for different causes and motivations.

Vital jealousy

The types of jealousy that fall into this category have less to do with access to an intimate relationship with specific people, but with the realization that other people have much more facility to cultivate a good self-image without making any effort and, at the same time, are more attractive to oneself than one’s own self-image.In this sense, jealousy exists because every small success of other people is an affront to one’s self-esteem. This category includes jealousy of work and jealousy of self-realization.

1. Work jealousy

This type of jealousy is based on the part of the self-image that appeals to the value that one has as a worker in relation to others . Thus, a person who feels that he is at a disadvantage in everything related to his own employability may experience work jealousy, because he sees an injustice every time someone gets the job he wants for himself, the promotion he was hoping to get, or simply when he thinks he has evidence that others are getting jobs that are more valuable than his own. In addition, this type of jealousy can lead to a passive-aggressive attitude that makes it more difficult to promote oneself in the workplace, since in the eyes of others it gives an image of hostility, resignation and little desire to make an effort in what one is doing.

2. Self-realization jealousy

This is a kind of jealousy that appeals to a set of abstract ideas about what personal development, happiness and self-realization is. People with this kind of jealousy believe that others live life with more intensity than oneself , and continually compare their own life project with that of other people who take themselves as role models, only to end up regretting that what these life examples have achieved is unattainable. These jealousies are articulated according to a series of prejudices about what an authentic life should include, such as: risky sports, trips to exotic places, access to high culture, the possibility of meeting famous people, etc.

Relationship jealousy

The types of jealousy that are framed here have to do with the relationship you have with specific people . Normally, this jealousy is born from the belief that there are certain agents that prevent our relationship with that person from becoming as intimate and private as we would like. Self-esteem is also involved in this type of jealousy, both as part of the causes and part of the consequences.

1. Childhood jealousy

They usually occur among young children and adolescents . Usually it is jealousy between siblings, cases in which a brother or sister is perceived to be getting in the way of the relationship with at least one of the parents. In general, this type of jealousy is the result of a struggle to attract the attention of an authority figure, who may be a father, a mother or any adult in the family environment.

2. Couple’s jealousy

These are relationship crises in which at least one of the partners distrusts the other person or their own ability to be attractive enough to make the relationship last . At the beginning they tend to be based on very concrete facts, although as the jealousy develops, the “evidence” on which they are based becomes increasingly spurious, which can make the situation rapidly worse. This type of jealousy also has a possessive and objectifying component towards the other person, since it is understood that the couple is a resource that is in demand beyond the relationship and that the solvency or not of the engagement or marriage depends at all times on external factors, such as what the other potential partners offer.

Pathological jealousy

All the above-mentioned types of lattice can vary from lattice moderation to pathological . Therefore, all of them can be barely perceptible or so extreme that they pose a serious problem in the quality of life of the person who suffers them and that of the people around him.

For example, partner jealousy may be based on delusions about what the couple is doing in secret, or it may even appear in cases where not only is there no relationship as such, but the person you want to “retain” has no interest in getting to know the other person intimately. This would be the case, for example, in certain cases in which the “fan phenomenon” towards a famous person who is not known in person has led to reckless or directly homicidal behavior. Pathological jealousy can also be one of the factors involved in domestic violence.

You can learn more about this category in the following article: “Sickly jealousy: 10 common signs among extremely jealous people”