Jealousy and the threatened self: Getting to the heart of the green-eyed monster

1. Jealousy and the threatened self: Getting to the heart of the green-eyed monster By: DeSteno, D., Valdesolo, P., & Bartlett, M.

2. Why Study Jealousy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQjkMG6qjco Jealousy is a fundamental aspect of human life Jealousy exists as a fundamental social emotion Jealousy is a blend of the following feelings -anger -anxiety -betrayal -hurt Jealousy has been associated with aggressive behavior

3. How and When is Jealousy Experienced? **Most common = Romantic Triad -However, jealousy might occur in different types of relationships as well. IMPORTANT: jealousy is one type of emotion experienced if a specific type of social rejection occurs.

4. Potential Cause of Jealousy **threatened self-esteem Threatened self-esteem is believed to be the principal mediating mechanism of jealousy Within the case of a romantic triad: Interaction between partner and rival threat to self-esteem promotes jealousy behaviours designed to remove threat Self-Esteem is an extremely important aspect within interpersonal relationships.

5. Previous Research on Jealousy… Many studies aimed observing and measuring jealousy has been based upon individual hypothetical or imagined situations or recollections of individual events. Why is this a problem? -does not reflect reality -conscious and unconscious processes -accuracy The current study works to push past these limitations

6. Study 1 Hypothesis 1: Participants in the experimental (jealousy) condition would demonstrate lower self-esteem (on the IAT) and higher self-reported jealousy than participants in the control condition. Hypothesis 2: Self-Esteem will mediate the relationship between jealousy and the control condition. **primary goal Inducing jealousy in the laboratory setting Investigating jealousy as a threat to self-esteem **Manipulations and Measures Single gender participants Implicit Self-Esteem (IAT) Explicit Self-Esteem (State self-esteem scale) Jealousy (feeling state questionnaire) **Participants 46 female Undergraduates at Northeastern University

7. Measures Assessed in Study 1 Measure of Implicit Self-Esteem Implicit Association Test(IAT) Block 1(20 trials): self, other Block 2(20 trials): pleasant, unpleasant Block 3(20 practice trials, 40 critical): -1/2 participants self+ pleasant, other+ unpleasant -1/2 participants self+ unpleasant, other+ pleasant Block 4**(20 trials):unpleasant, pleasant Block 5**(20 practice trials, 40 critical): -1/2 participants self+ unpleasant, other+ pleasant -1/2 participants self+ pleasant, other+ unpleasant

8. Measures Assessed in Study 1 Measure of Explicit Self-Esteem state self-esteem questionnaire Measure of Jealousy feeling state questionnaire 10 adjectives 4 adjectives targeted at jealousy -jealous -angry -betrayed -hurt

9. Study 1 Procedure Participant Confederate/Partner Rival **2 conditions

10. Results of Study 1 Experimental condition was successful in evoking jealousy in participants The experimental condition elicited a decrease in implicit self-esteem Examination of explicit self-esteem scores showed no difference between the experimental and control condition

11. Study 2 Hypothesis 1: Participants in the experimental (jealousy) condition would demonstrate lower self-esteem (on the IAT) and higher self-reported jealousy than participants in the control condition. Hypothesis 2: Participants in the experimental condition will display a greater amount of aggression (as measured by amount of hot sauce) towards their “partner” than participants in the control condition. **primary goal Replicate the findings of study 1 Examine predictive validity of jealousy with respect to aggression aimed at Partners and Rivals Investigate the correlation between jealousy and increased aggression **Manipulations and Measures Males and Females Implicit Self-Esteem (IAT) Explicit Self-Esteem (State self-esteem scale) Jealousy (feeling state questionnaire) Aggression **Participants 43 undergraduates (30 female, 13 male) from Northeastern University

12. Measures Assessed in Study 2 Measure of Aggression participants given the opportunity to inflict pain on others amount of hot sauce assessing aggression towards both individuals or just one

13. Study 2 Procedure **method identical to study 1 with the exception of two details Taste preferences collected before the beginning of study 1 procedure The opportunity to engage in aggression occurred at the conclusion of study 1 procedure Ex: questionnaire designed to assess their degree of liking for several tastes (sweet, sour, creamy, salty, spicy, and fruity)

14. Results of Study 2 As in study 1, jealousy condition resulted in increased jealousy and lowered self-esteem. No differences in explicit self-esteem measures Participants aggressed toward the partner and the rival to a much greater degree in the jealousy condition hostility was equal to both men produced larger hot sauce samples than women

15. Hmmm, So what does this mean? Theory of jealousy based on self-esteem Jealousy = aggression? Me+ Social Rejection = Jealousy?

16. Overall Research Findings on Jealousy cultural membership Attachment Style individual differences in rejection sensitivity Although evidence was provided that threatened self-esteem mediated jealousy, a variety of other factors were not investigated:

17. What Next?! OR What could we find in examining longer lasting relationships? Could different techniques be used in examining jealousy?

18. Let’s Talk! Why do you think that the first study only included female participants, while the second study, which analyzed aggression, included both males and females? Referring to jealousy, Freud himself suggested that, “its absence, not its presence, is a sign of pathology.” What do you think about that statement? Taking ethical requirements into consideration, can you think of any alternate ways to induce and analyze aggression within a laboratory setting?