Morbid Jealousy: a Review and Cognitive-Behavioural Formulation

Morbid jealousy includes a range of irrational thoughts and emotions, with associated unacceptable and abnormal behaviour. Common forms of psychopathology are delusions, obsessions and overvalued ideas.

Evolution and Human Behavior, 2007

Individuals diagnosed with morbid jealousy have hypersensitive jealousy mechanisms that cause them to have irrational thoughts about their partner's fidelity and to exhibit extreme behaviors. Using a newly constructed database of 398 cases of morbid jealousy reported in the literature from 1940 to 2002, we tested four evolutionarily informed hypotheses about normally functioning jealousy mechanisms and applied them to this novel population of individuals diagnosed with morbid jealousy. We hypothesized that a greater percentage of men than women diagnosed with morbid jealousy would be focused on a partner's sexual infidelity and on indicators of a rival's status and resources and that a greater percentage of women than men diagnosed with morbid jealousy would be focused on a partner's emotional infidelity and on indicators of a rival's youth and physical attractiveness. All four hypotheses were supported. The results suggest continuity between normal jealousy and morbid jealousy and highlight the heuristic value of using archival databases to test evolutionarily informed hypotheses.

2016

Background: Jealousy is common between humans but can assume pathological characteristics.Aims: To report a case of obsessive jealousy and to review the concept and clinical features of the condition.Methods: A clinical cases of obsessive jealousy was obtained and a literature review of the theme was shortly surveyed.Results and Conclusions: The clinical case presents a man with morbid jealousy with obsessive features who was hospitalized after a suicide attempted. During his hospitalization he was medicated with fluvoxamine and clonazepam reporting a decrease of the ruminative thoughts and anxiety. A correct diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its differentiation from a delusion, obsessive or overvalued idea are essential for an adequate approach and treatment.

CNS spectrums, 2010

Despite the general agreement that normal jealousy is heterogenous, little is known about this specific topic. In the present study, we explored the possibility of distinguishing between four subtypes of "normal" jealousy (depressive, anxious, obsessive, and paranoid) amongst a cohort of 500 healthy university students by means of a specifically designed questionnaire, "Ouestionario della gelosia" (QUEGE). QUEGE is a self-report instrument of 30 items which explores the presence, frequency, and duration of feelings and behaviors related to jealousy. It was devised to investigate four hypothetical psychopathological profiles: depressive, paranoid, obsessive, and anxious. The factor analysis identified five rather than four clear-cut factors: self-esteem, paranoia, interpersonal Sensitivity, fear of being abandoned, and obsessionality. Women showed statistically significant lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of obsessionality than men. Younger age (<2...

2012

Jealousy is an emotion that arises in diverse circumstances and is experienced in phenomenologically diverse ways. In part because of this diversity, evaluations of jealous subjects tend to be conflicting and ambiguous. Thus philosophers who are interested in the moral status of jealousy face a challenge: to explain how, despite the diversity of jealous subjects and experiences of jealousy, our moral evaluations of those subjects in light of those experiences might be unified. In this project, I confront and respond to this challenge, which I call the challenge of heterogeneity. In Part I, I refine and expand on existing descriptive accounts of jealousy, defending an account with three necessary but not sufficient conditions. On my view, if

Terapia psicológica

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 2018

The evidence base for integrative forms of psychotherapy for obsessive morbid jealousy (OMJ) is very limited and so this study sought to examine the effectiveness of cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) in a small case series. Three A/B with extended follow-up single case experimental designs (SCEDs) were completed, with 1 male and 2 female patients presenting with OMJ. Results indicate that on the daily ideographic jealousy measures (across and within each case) there was evidence of significant reductions in morbid jealousy (and other associated symptoms) during the treatment phase. Treatment effects were also seen to be maintained over the follow-up period in these ideographic measures. On the primary nomothetic measure, all cases were classed as "nonjealous" by follow-up. Partner violence was extinguished across all cases. This article provides evidence of CAT offering promise as a suitable OMJ treatment option. Methodological limitations, theoretical insights, and treatment implications are all discussed.

Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2012

Pathological jealousy (PJ) is not defined as a unitary syndrome, but as a symptom of different disorders. After a definition of PJ, diagnostic criteria for PJ subtypes and its differentiation from normal jealousy are discussed. Based on a description of the clinical picture of non-delusional PJ in a functional analysis format, a cognitive-behavioural conceptualization of non-delusional PJ as an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) is presented. The emphasis is on phenomenological overlap with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD), including similarities of jealous intrusions with obsessions, of jealous checking, reassurance seeking and avoidance of jealousy-provoking situations with compulsive rituals and passive avoidance in OCD, and finally of the ''illusion of control'' in PJ (belief that safeguarding love relationships by control is possible) with magical thinking/superstitious behaviour in OCD. Some treatment suggestions based on an OCSD formulation of non-delusional PJ are outlined.

International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 2008

Jealousy is a multidimensional cognitive, emotional, behavioral and interpersonal phenomenon. Jealousy can be a destructive and often dangerous emotional and interpersonal response to threats to a valued relationship. Despite the importance of jealousy as an issue for couples, there has been relatively little attention to this problem. Jealousy is a form of angry, agitated worry, whose goal is to anticipate and avoid surprise and betrayal. A meta-emotional model is described, emphasizing the normalization of jealous emotion, distinguishing between "feeling" and "acting on" jealousy and linking jealousy to emotional processing, intolerance of uncertainty and thought fusion. Mindfulness and acceptance based approaches can be used that emphasize cultivating a capacity to distance and de-center from disturbing thoughts and feelings, overcoming attempts at experiential avoidance that may amplify jealousy, disrupting thought-reality fusion, and establishing a non-judgmental observing stance, from which adaptive behaviors may proceed.

Indian Journal of Private Psychiatry, 2021

Jealousy and morbid jealousy are the phenomena commonly encountered by psychiatrists. Its significance extends beyond the clinical characteristics and treatment to forensic aspects as well. This jealousy results in behaviors designed to prevent partner infidelity and to retain their romantic partners. These retention behaviors can be both nonviolent and violent and differ in males and females. Morbid jealousy is a symptom with different psychopathological presentations resulting in distinct psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Obsessive jealousy in particular needs special consideration as it goes unrecognized or more often be mistaken for delusional jealousy. In contrast to delusional jealousy which expresses itself with the strong degree of conviction of partner's infidelity, obsessive jealousy presents as recurring, unpleasant, undesired, unwanted, and irrational thoughts of their partner's infidelity. In obsessive jealousy, the individual suffers from a possibility of unfaithfulness which can be sexual and emotional with resultant monitoring behaviors.