Jealousy is a natural and healthy emotion that can occur when you perceive something to be a threat to your lifestyle. When it comes to relationships, jealousy is usually a reaction to a past infraction or experience. Jealousy taints a relationship, and if left unchecked, it can ultimately cause the demise of an otherwise healthy and loving partnership. Before you allow jealousy to consume you, consider the effects of jealousy in a relationship.
Behavior Change
While jealousy is typically perceived as a negative emotion, it can have some positive effects. Voicing your jealous feelings to your partner in a clear and communicative way can help alert him or her to the behavior and how it causes you anguish. By talking rationally about your fears and how your partner's actions have affected you, you might bring about a change in a partner's behavior when they realizes they're hurting you. When you nag or become irate because you feel jealous, you're communicating in a less effective way and may not achieve the same results.
Perceived Threats
Psychology Today notes that jealousy in a relationship is your reaction to a perceived threat, whether real or imagined. A runaway imagination can exacerbate your jealousy problem, making you feel worse. Through jealousy, you may make up untrue stories about your partner, and then stage a confrontation about actions that may not even have happened. Allowing your imagination to run away with you can taint your relationship and cause you to point fingers and nag only because you feel threatened.
Violence
Extreme jealousy in a relationship can lead to violence. Some partners will try and convince you that extreme jealousy is a sign of love, and when violence occurs, it is your fault. Vanderbilt University's Project Safe warns against the toll that jealousy can take on a relationship. Your partner may become jealous and use it as an excuse to abuse you physically, emotionally or sexually. Jealousy, especially irrational jealousy, makes your partner feel vindicated in hurting you.
Dissolution
Jealousy can taint a relationship so wholly that the relationship ends completely. AskMen.com notes that jealousy can often become uncontrollable, and builds until the relationship becomes toxic and the union cannot go on. You stop looking for the best in your relationship and become obsessed with thinking up ways that your partner will eventually betray you, even a trustworthy partner. Check your jealousy and tame it by seeing a counselor or communicating with your partner to avoid the demise of your relationship.
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