Antecedents in romantic jealousy experience, expression, and goals

The present study seeks to examine biological sex, psychological gender, and relational type as antecedents in jealousy experience, expression, and goals. Data were collected from 334 individuals in romantic relationships. Results indicated that men experienced significantly more cognitive jealousy, while women were more likely to communicatively express their jealousy. Additionally, important gender differences in jealousy expression and goals were identified. Masculinity/instrumentality was positively associated with antisocial responses to jealousy, including distributive communication, signs of possession, violence, contacting the rival, and manipulation. Femininity/expressiveness was positively associated with the prosocial response of integrative communication, and negatively associated with antisocial responses of distributive communication, active distancing, avoidance, violent communication, threats, and manipulation. The study also compared the predictive ability of sex and gender in jealousy experience and expression. Sex was the superior predictor of cognitive jealousy experience, while gender was the superior predictor for three communicative responses to jealousy. Finally, relational type influenced jealousy expression and experience. Married individuals experienced and expressed the least jealousy, while casual daters experienced more cognitive jealousy than serious daters. Implications for future jealousy theory and research are discussed.