Jealousy is loosely defined as a “deeply negative” emotion which arises when a valued relationship is threatened by an outside force (Harris, 2004). It appears that jealousy is an intricate reaction between both cognitive and social factors, which results in the dispersion of the emotion itself. There are two distinct types of jealousy, which we will focus on within this website. The first type of jealousy is sexual jealousy. This refers to jealousy which occurs when a partner is engaged in a sexual situation (real or imagined) with another individual.
Jealousy can be measured in several ways. Firstly, self report surveys can be taken. In this situation participants were asked to visualize their partner in a situation in which they were emotionally or sexually involved with another individual. This is subjective to the individual, and may be difficult for the participant if they have never experience infidelity. The participant was then asked to rate their jealousy. Secondly, physiological symptoms can be measured and recorded. Sweat, heart rate and pulse rate can all be recorded. An influx of these symptoms is said to reveal an increase in jealousy.