Types of Jealousy

Almost everyone experiences some type of jealousy at some point in life. Jealousy can be broken down into two branches: normal and abnormal. Under these branches, jealousy can be divided into five categories.

Family Jealousy

• Family jealousy most commonly occurs between siblings, but can occur between cousins or any other relative. This type of jealousy is usually borne out by too much attention being given to one person over another.

Friend Jealousy

• Jealousy among friends is one of the most commonly outspoken types of jealousy. In school-aged friends, jealousy is common when one excels at an activity, subject or socialization.

Romantic Jealousy

• Romantic jealousy is commonly defined as the jealousy a person feels toward his partner (often associated with suspicions of disloyalty), which often leads to self-consciousness and insecurity.

Power Jealousy

• Power jealousy, also known as work jealousy, refers to the jealousy that arises between coworkers; for example, often following a promotion or any other workplace success that is not awarded to every employee.

Normal Jealousy

• Normal jealousy is the most common form of jealousy, which usually amounts to little more than someone's "heart dropping" when they see something they wish for. Normal jealousy is often easy to conceal and cope with, but can easily make a person self-conscious and branch off into other types of jealousy.

Abnormal Jealousy

• Abnormal jealousy is usually defined as a psychological disorder in which a person experiencing this type of jealousy cannot conceal it. A person with abnormal jealousy may feel insecure, and oftentimes a person will go out of her way and harm someone else in an attempt to satisfy herself.