Jealousy and the Male (Im)Potency: Psychodynamic Reading from a Gender Perspective

Abstract

Subjective experiences of jealousy are crossed by cultural and gender dimensions. From a perspective of masculinity studies, this article aims to offer a hermeneutic analysis of how cisgender men understand, designate, and experience this affection, through qualitative research containing narrative interviews and content analysis. The participants were 8 subjects in heterosexual relationships with complaints about feeling and/or receiving jealousy. The received jealousy is analyzed under the category “jealous women, strengthened men”. The feeling of jealousy is discussed through three categories: “feeling jealous amid the narcissistic issues of (im)potency”; “noticing and avoiding: the ambivalences of jealous affection”; “a disguised jealousy that demands submission from women”. A gendered reading of emotional and narcissistic issues showed how experiences of male jealousy are linked to the efficacy dispositif.