Jealousy of friends: where does it come from and how to deal with it

Friend jealousy is very common, especially during adolescence. Such a manifestation of feelings and attitudes towards a person offends both the jealous one and the one whose communication with other people is limited. Every person has taken someone’s place at least once in their life. We talk about where friendly jealousy comes from, how to get rid of it, and ways to help you stop being jealous of a friend or girlfriend.

Psychological causes of jealousy

fear of loss

According to psychology, the fear of loss can be one of the biggest obstacles between friends if it manifests itself in a negative way. When a friend is jealous of someone, they may fear losing someone they love due to a lack of trust in themselves, their friend, or others.

shyness

Jealousy in friendships is often associated with self-doubt, which can manifest itself in different ways. This, for example, is constantly comparing yourself to your crush’s other friends. There are also situations where a person feels unworthy of the friendship he has, but does not want to lose a friend. Difficulties in communication may also arise due to low self-esteem.

possession

Of course, if a person is jealous of someone else’s girlfriend or boyfriend, the most common reason is possessiveness. It is easy to distinguish this type of jealousy – often a friend’s communication with others causes irritation and anger, the person is infuriated that the person he likes devotes too much attention and time to others and, roughly speaking, privatizes his friend.

Relationship with my mother

One of the reasons for jealousy towards a friend may be a reflection of your relationship with your mother. If the child was not loved and received attention in childhood, the feeling of “wrongness”, all these mixed with insecurity and jealousy, may arise in relationships with other friends in the future.

What does jealousy lead to?

If jealousy is not controlled and restrained, it can lead to not-so-good results. At the very least, a jealous person can ruin his/her loved one’s relationships with other friends. Of course, jealousy towards a friend can lead to the end of the friendship and, most likely, a scandalous outcome. And in extreme cases, the obsession that your friend should communicate only with you can develop into psychological problems and diseases, so it is better to completely eliminate this feeling in yourself and get rid of jealousy towards your friends.

How do I get rid of it?

How can you stop being jealous of a friend for another friend and what should you do if this feeling overwhelms you? First of all, you should evaluate the emotions and feelings that trigger and accompany the manifestation of jealousy. If jealousy is unfounded and stems only from self-doubt, you should understand that your friend has his own life, work, relationships and friends, and all this does not exclude his friendship with you. It will also not be superfluous to understand the reasons for adoption. Of course, if you understand that jealousy has now begun to cross the boundaries, you need to discuss everything with your friend and have a frank conversation in order to save the relationship. If you cannot cope with this feeling of pressure on your own, you should get professional help from a psychologist.