Narcissism and Jealousy
by Leila El Khoury
Jealousy is often troublesome within relationships. It can be messy and even disastrous. To make matters worse, recent studies have shown that jealousy can be purposefully solicited from one partner by another. Tortoriello and colleagues (2017) have found that making a romantic partner jealous on purpose is associated with narcissism. Narcissists, in their efforts to orchestrate the perfect crime scene for inducing jealousy, tend to be motivated by seeking power and control over the relationship, exacting revenge, testing the relationship’s strength, seeking security, and compensating for low self-esteem. Yikes. These findings have unpleasant implications for those who may recognize such traits in their partner. Manipulative behavior from a loved one is neither desirable nor easy to deal with. The best course of action would be couple’s therapy or even ending the relationship if things get too ugly.
Reference: Tortoriello, G. K., Hart, W., Richardson, K., & Tullett, A. M. (2017). Do narcissists try to make romantic partners jealous on purpose? An examination of motives for deliberate jealousy-induction among subtypes of narcissism. Personality and Individual Differences, 114, 10-15. doi./10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.052











