This study aimed to examine the relationships between jealousy and the variables of self-esteem, anxiety, relationship commitment, and gender. Using a survey-based approach with 99 community college students, the study tested five hypotheses derived from existing literature. It was expected that the levels of jealousy would be higher among those in a committed relationship than those who were not, and the degree of jealousy would have a negative correlation with levels of anxiety and self-esteem. Another expectation was that the degree of emotional infidelity or sexual infidelity was a result of one’s gender status. Jealousy is a major topic of study in romantic and sexual relationships. In fact, jealousy is an important issue in romantic relationships: it is rated among the top three most frequent problems experienced in intimate relationships ( Zusman & Knox, 1998 ). For this experiment, the null hypothesis revealed that there were no statistically significant relationships for any of the hypotheses, indicating that, in the sample, these factors did not predict levels of jealousy.
Agnew, C. R., Van Lange, P. A. M., Rusbult, C. E., & Langston, C. A. (1998). Cognitive Interdependence: Commitment and the Mental Representation of Close Relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 939-954. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.4.939
Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. A. (1993). Beck Anxiety Inventory Manual. Psychological Corporation.
Bohner, G., Echterhoff, G., Glaß, C., Patrzek, J., & Lampridis, E. (2010). Distress in Response to Infidelities Committed by the Partners of Close Others. Social Psychology, 41, 223-229. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000030
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and Loss: Separation (Vol. 2). Basic Books.
Bringle, R. G., Roach, S., Andler, C., & Evenbeck, S. (1979). Measuring the Intensity of Jealous Reactions. Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 9, 23-24.
Buss, D. (1991). Conflict between the Sexes: Events Evoking Anger and Jealousy. Paper Presented at the 99th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
Clanton, G. & Smith, L. G. (1986). Introduction. In G. Clanton, & L. G. Smith (Eds.), Jeal ousy . University Press of America.
Clanton, G. (1989). Jealousy in American Culture, 1945-1985. In Franks, & McCar-thy (Eds.), The Sociology of Emotions. Greenwich . JAI.
Darwin, C. (1871). The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. John Murray. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.24784
Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (1986). Unified Crime Reports of the United States. Department of Justice.
Gray-Little, B., Williams, V. S. L., & Hancock, T. D. (1997). An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 443-451. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297235001
Lange, C. G., & James, W. (1922). The Emotions (Vol. 1). Williams and Wilkins.
Le, B., & Agnew, C. R. (2003). Commitment and Its Theorized Determinants: A Meta–analysis of the Investment Model. Personal Relationships, 10, 37-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00035
Mathes, E. W., Adams, H. E., & Davies, R. M. (1985). Jealousy: Loss of Relationship Rewards, Loss of Self-Esteem, Depression, Anxiety, and Anger. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1552-1561. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.48.6.1552
Pines, A. (1992). Romantic Jealousy: Understanding and Conquering the Shadow of Love. St Martin’s.
Robins, R. W., Hendin, H. M., & Trzesniewski, K. H. (2001). Measuring Global Self-Esteem: Construct Validation of a Single-Item Measure and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 151-161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167201272002
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Princeton University Press.
Rusbult, C. E. (1980). Commitment and Satisfaction in Romantic Associations: A Test of the Investment Model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 172-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4
Rusbult, C. E. (1983). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.1.101
Rusbult, C. E., Martz, J. M., & Agnew, C. R. (1998). The Investment Model Scale: Measuring Commitment Level, Satisfaction Level, Quality of Alternatives, and Investment Size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357-387. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1998.tb00177.x
Rydell, R. J., McConnell, A. R., & Bringle, R. G. (2004). Jealousy and Commitment: Perceived Threat and the Effect of Relationship Alternatives. Personal Relationships, 11, 451-468. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00092.x
Schachter, S. (1964). The Interaction of Cognitive and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. I, pp. 49-80). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60048-9
Sharpsteen, D. J., & Kirkpatrick, L. A. (1997). Romantic Jealousy and Adult Romantic Attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 627-640. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.3.627
Shaver, P., Hazan, C., & Bradshaw, D. (1988). Love as Attachment: The Integration of Three Behavioral Systems. In R. J. Sternberg, & M. L. Barnes (Eds.), The Psychology of Love (pp. 68-69). Yale University Press.
Strong, B., DeVault, C., & Cohen, T. (2011). The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Wadsworth.
Symons, D. (1979). The Evolution of Human Sexuality. University Press.
White, G. & Mullen, P. (1989). Jealousy: Theory, Research and Clinical Strategies. Guilford.
White, G. L. (1981). A Model of Romantic Jealousy. Motivation and Emotion, 5, 295-310. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00992549
Wiederman, M. W., & Kendall, E. (1999). Evolution, Sex, and Jealousy: Investigation with a Sample from Sweden. Evolution and Human Behavior, 20, 121-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-5138(98)00046-4
Wilson, E. O. (1978). On Human Nature. Harvard University Press.
Zusman, M. E., & Knox, D. (1998). Relationship Problems of Casual and Involved University Students. College Student Journal, 32, 606-610.