Pathological jealousy and pathological love: Apples to apples or apples to oranges?
Pathological jealousy evokes emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that cause damage to social and interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, pathological love is the uncontrollable behavior of caring for a partner that results in neglecting the needs of the self. The aim of the present research was to assess the similarities and differences between the two psychopathologies of love. To this end, thirty-two individuals with pathological jealousy and 33 individuals with pathological love were compared on demographics, aspects of romantic relationship (jealousy, satisfaction, love style), psychiatric co-morbidities, personality and psychological characteristics (e.g., impulsivity). In a univariate analysis individuals with pathological jealousy were more likely to be in a current relationship and reported greater satisfaction. The avoidant attachment and the ludus love style were associated with pathological jealousy whereas the secure attachment and agape love style was associated with pathological love. Almost three-quarters (72.3%) of the sample met criteria for a current psychiatric disorder, however no differences emerged between the pathological jealousy and pathological love groups. In a binary logistic regression, relationship status and impairments in parenting significantly differentiated the groups. While both pathological jealousy and pathological love share similarities, they also present with unique differences, which may have important treatment implications.
['Stravogiannis|Andrea Lorena da C|ALDC|', 'Kim|Hyoun S|HS|', 'Sophia|Eglacy C|EC|', 'Sanches|Cíntia|C|', 'Zilberman|Monica L|ML|', 'Tavares|Hermano|H|']
D000328:Adult D015897:Comorbidity D003702:Delusions D004644:Emotions D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007398:Interpersonal Relations D007578:Jealousy D008149:Love D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009769:Object Attachment D016487:Parenting D010549:Personal Satisfaction D010551:Personality
Pathological jealousy Pathological love Love-bonding psychopathology