JEALOUSES BETWEEN FRIENDS: why they happen and how to avoid them

Jealousy is a feeling that can appear throughout our lives in different relationships, such as family relationships with siblings, in couple relationships and in friendship. These usually manifest when we detect that the relationship is threatened by another person. When we establish a friendship with someone we give that person a privileged place in our life, we care her opinion, what happens to her and we try to be by the side, if at some point we fear for the link created they may appear jealousy. In this Psychology-Online article we want to explain why jealousy happens between friends and how to avoid it.

Index

1. Signs of jealousy in friendship
2. Why does jealousy happen between friends
3. How to overcome jealousy between friends

How to know if my friend is jealous? Next we will see how to detect jealousy in friendship:

Comparisons

The friend next to you constantly compares with you, you detect that if you start an activity he or she is going to want to do it too, even though they have previously said that it doesn't liked. Everything in the relationship is like that, everything you do is compared to something of their own, it seems that

Anger or discomfort

Another very clear sign of jealousy is the constant anger when the part that presents jealousy detects that the other person does something where perhaps don't make it a priority, such as meeting another friend or making a plan without the other person. He feels as if this fact is a betrayal of his friendship and gets angry about it.

Rivalry

Perhaps the comparisons go further and a feeling of rivalry with your friend is born. This rivalry can be a source of jealousy, since when you label someone as a rival, the relationship is then based on competing with each other. When one of the friends considers that the other has won is when jealousy appears. If you detect that your friendship is not happy about your achievements and always try to do the same as you But it seems that he also puts a lot of effort in making his thing better and gets angry or itches when this does not happen, it can be a sign of jealousy.

Imitation

Another thing that can indicate that the person is jealous is imitation, if it detects that the bond with you is unstable one of the ways you can find to reinforce it is imitation, if she is more like you maybe that bond will be strengthened. The fact of detecting that someone is forcing to be accepted It can be a reason for distancing on the other party, since they remember that the friendship was created because the other person also detected something in you that they liked.

Why is your friend jealous of you? Next we will see what the jealousy is due to:

Privilege

When a friendship is born, you give that person a privileged place in your life and you hope that this person does too. Still, each person has different ways of showing that a person is important in their life. Maybe the way the other person shows it does not make you feel special and that arouses jealousy because you think that you are not in the same position.

Idealization

Another reason why a person may be jealous is for having idealized the person next to you. When you idealize, without realizing it and unconsciously, you put yourself in a lower place to the other person who should be an equal. This fact can trigger feelings of less worth and inferiority that in many cases are the root of jealousy.

Lack of self confidence

The person who is very insecure with himself may be more susceptible to jealousy, since his low self esteem It can lead her to constantly see threats in her friendship relationship. The fact of not valuing yourself makes you do not have enough confidence in feeling that your qualities, attributes and way of being to another person may seem a source of happiness, because you yourself are not capable of believing in yourself.

Here you will find information about what is jealousy and why does it arise.

To avoid jealousy between friends and, if it occurs, handle it correctly, we can follow these tips:

Trust in the qualities of oneself

As mentioned above, one of the main reasons for jealousy is a lack of self-confidence. It is important that, for another person to see you as a priority in her life, you consider yourself a person to prioritize. If you are always underestimating yourself, it is the image that you can transmit to the other person. Remember that human relationships are like a mirror: on many occasions, we receive what we transmit. In this article we talk about how to have confidence in yourself and here you can find exercises to be more confident.

Speak openly

It is important that when these types of feelings appear, you can talk about them with the other person, talk and recognize what it feels like It is a very brave act but also the beginning of the solution, perhaps seeing the opinion of the other person helps you to observe that there is no reason to worry about your bond. In addition, by talking about it, agreements can be reached so that, if jealousy reoccurs on other occasions, you can act quickly. Remember that communication is the base of any relationship. In this article we explain assertive communication.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Jealousy between friends: why it happens and how to avoid it, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

• Fisher, H. (2004). Why we love. Editorial Taurus, Alfagura