Why do people become jealous of others?

Alex Williams
3 Min Read
  1. Because they feel threatened

  2. Perceived competition

    Jealousy usually happens when there is a perceived competition. If an employee saw another employee being praised by their manager then the first might feel jealous because of being afraid to lose the promotion they wanted to get.

  3. Insecurity causes jealousy

    The person who feels insecure is much more likely to get jealous. If a person was 100% sure they can win in spite of the competition then they might not feel jealous.

  4. Jealousy and motivation

    Jealousy can have the purpose of motivating a person to become better usually when combined with feelings of inferiority. When a person sees their friends or peers doing better than them, they might get motivated to improve themselves.

  5. Inferiority causes jealousy

    When a person feels inferior to someone they might feel jealous of that person. (See What Causes an Inferiority Complex?)

  6. Self doubts cause jealousy

    If a person has self doubts then they are more likely to feel jealous of their friends and peers. Because that person believes they can’t compete with their friends, they feel jealous towards them.

  7. Comparisons cause jealousy

    The comparisons a person makes between themselves and others or having parents that keep making comparisons between their children can lead to intense jealousy.

  8. When a person gets the resources someone wanted

    If a person got the resources another person wanted then the latter might feel jealous. A person who needs attention might feel jealous of the celebrities who appear on TV because they took people’s attention. (See Why are some people are attention seekers?)

  9. Hatred can cause jealousy

  10. Believing that a person doesn’t deserve what they got

    If a person believes that someone didn’t deserve what they got then they might feel jealous of them.

  11. Bad past experiences

    A person can feel jealous if they’ve been through some kind of a bad past experience that they don’t want to repeat. If someone stole a woman’s husband then she is very likely to experience more jealousy in her future relationships.

  12. Projection

    A person who distrusts themselves might fail to trust others. If a person isn’t sure of their own faithfulness then they might project those fears on others by being jealous.

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