Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Jealousy


According to www.merriam-webster.com:

Definition of JEALOUS
1 a: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness b: disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
2: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage
3: vigilant in guarding a possession

According to www.psychologytoday.com:

A Signal to Look Within

Jealousy is an extremely painful emotion; social exclusion, whether real or imagined, always hurts. It throws the mind into turmoil and is difficult to dislodge. ... there are huge individual differences in the propensity for jealousy, and there is emerging evidence that elements of personality influence some of them. Those who are most insecure, in fact, may be most unrealistic in perceiving threats and making accusations. But this same view of jealousy also suggests that the emotion need not be unleashed on a destructive path; it can instead serve a highly constructive purpose—as a valuable signal to look within and repair one's own sense of self. That, in turn, can only improve relationships. Jealousy, it seems, says more about the bearer than about the deeds or misdeeds of [others] ...

...

Yup. Take it for what it's worth.

11 comments:

  1. Interesting. Jealousy can certainly be far out of proportion to the thing you feel jealous of. Hadn't heard about the positive aspect to it before.

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  2. Really good post. Wise advice about looking within.

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  3. I need some more time to think this through. I fell it is heading in the right direction.

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  4. Good post! I agree that jealousy has a lot to do with a person's insecurities, but it can be used as an opportunity for self-reflection to build personal strength.

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  5. Jealousy is so hard to avoid. Great post for J!

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  6. I posted on jealousy a couple years ago, and I used to have a severe problem with it. It wasn't easy to think my way out of it, but I eventually got through, with an amazingly patient & understanding wife.

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  7. Jealousy is destructive. Nothing good can come from it. It'll eat at your soul and change who you are. Great post, Margo ;)

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  8. Can I say that I'm a mite jealous of your progress in the A-Z challenge? :P Alas, I am only human.

    This is a good perspective on it though. Not to let it eat you up and use it to look at yourself rather than your circumstances. Great post :)

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  9. I'm not typically the jealous type. Well, I might be a wee bit jealous of those women who can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce, especially if they also happen to never have bad hair days. Wait, I think that's envy, not jealousy. Never mind. ;O)

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  10. Sometimes, I have a hard time understanding the difference between jealousy and envy. Is jealousy an utter dislike of someone or something because you don't want them to enjoy or have something (like misery loves company, kinda?) while envy is a dislike of someone or something because you want what they have?

    I just don't get what makes these two things different.

    Anyway, I do think that being jealous says more about the person who has these feelings than it does about the target of such jealousy.

    It reminds me of how so many people I know talk bad about Paris Hilton -- calling her a spoiled brat, for example, and I beg to differ -- I think that all of that negative energy that they spend on putting her down would be better served by using her as inspiration to want to build an empire for one's own family or to find success in whatever it is that brings them joy.

    In short...don't be a hater, instead congratulate!

    ~Nicole
    Blog: The Madlab Post
    @MadlabPost on Twitter

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  11. Hi Margo! Interesting post for the letter J.

    Susanne
    PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

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