Green on the Screen: Types of Jealousy and Communicative Responses to Jealousy in Romantic Comedies

Identifying points for therapeutic intervention from the lived experiences of people seeking help for retroactive jealousy

“…All four threats significantly predicted jealousy from current rivals, but the threat to the specialness of the current relationship was the only significant predictor from past rivals (Frampton, 2019). Frampton (2019) did not find attachment to be a significant predictor of RJ. She suggested this may be due to sufferers with anxious attachment (characterised by seeking relational closeness but fearing rejection) harbouring contradictory expectations regarding specialness in relationships that the framework was unable to capture.…”

“…Retroactive jealousy often extends beyond typical jealousy and involves intrusive thoughts and highly charged anxiety, anger, disgust and sadness relating to partners' pasts (Ballards Psychiatry, n.d.; Frampton, 2019; Keeler, 2020; Stockill, 2013). Sufferers describe feeling possessed by these thoughts and feelings, comparing themselves to past rivals and ruminating, interrogating, judging and seeking reassurance from their partners and questioning partners' values (Ballards Psychiatry, n.d.; BBC, 2018; Billings, 2016; Frampton, 2019; Frampton & Fox, 2018). The consequences can be debilitating for sufferers and their partners (Stockill, 2013), and the current research aims to understand sufferers' experiences with a view to helping those who work with them therapeutically.…”

“…Practitioners offering treatment for RJ receive over 120,000 visits to their websites annually (BBC, 2018). Although widespread, RJ is under‐researched with only two studies addressing it in detail (Frampton, 2019; Frampton & Fox, 2018). These two studies offer valuable conceptualisations by viewing RJ through the lens of existing jealousy theories.…”

“…However, this conceptualisation is distinct from RJ, where the experience of threat is from a past rival. Frampton (2019) suggests that past relationships threaten sufferers' expectations for relationships to be unique and special (Anderson et al, 2011;Bringle & Buunk, 1991;White & Mullen, 1989). She drew on a meaning-maintenance model (Heine et al, 2006;Proulx & Inzlicht, 2012) suggesting that sufferers' meaning frameworks are challenged by partners' pasts.…”

“…Retroactive jealousy sufferers often know that their thinking and behaviours are illogical and damaging, and this contributes to their distress (Billings, 2016). Frampton (2019) suggested that sufferers' reassurance seeking, self-comparison and derogating past rivals are attempts to assimilate or reappraise information about partners' pasts in a way that preserves their sense of the current relationship as special (Heine et al, 2006;Proulx & Inzlicht, 2012). These behaviours are likely to impact sufferers' relationships and their own self-view.…”