Jealousy within the Perspective of a Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory

Abstract

We dealt with jealousy in the perspective of a self-evaluation maintenance theory which emphasizes the importance of rivals and their characteristics in view of the self-concept of individuals. If our study replicates 1996 results of DeSteno and Salovey, the finding would support the hypothesis that jealousy is a specific process for maintenance of self-evaluation. Thus, a participant should report greater jealousy when the domain of a rival's achievements was one of high self-relevance for the participant. Support for this hypothesis was found under one condition. The relevance of a rival's domain to the participant's self-definition influenced intensity of experienced jealousy only if the domain was a central professional skill (of prospective teachers, namely, “the ability to handle children well”). Consequently, the relevance of the other domains used by DeSteno and Salovey (1996)—intelligence, popularity, athleticism—is not of unlimited validity. In contrast to DeSteno and Salovey, sex differences were significant.