Jealousy has always dominated the world in all aspects of life; in fact, the Bible presents human jealousy as a destructive behavior and a sin. And who could argue with that?

​

History itself tells us that civil wars, invasions, and military betrayals motivated by jealousy (whether romantic, familial, status-related, or geopolitical) have radically altered the world map.

 

Although underlying tensions often lay behind these conflicts, the personal jealousies of monarchs, generals, and aristocrats served as the ultimate trigger for bloodshed.

 

The invasion of the three kingdoms (China, 219 AD); the destruction of the celestial hall (China, 694 AD); the abduction of Helen and the Trojan War (Myth and History); the War of the Roses (England, 1455-1487); the conflict of the Tudor queens; the Peloponnesian War (Greece, 431-404 BC) are just a few examples of how jealousy became a source of global discord.

 

Even today, jealousy continues to tragically fulfill what the Bible foretold long ago. In Argentina alone, an average of 200 to 250 femicides are recorded each year, most of them due to jealousy. Worse still, nearly 25 percent of these murders are committed by ex-partners who cannot accept their ex's new romantic life. Obviously, hundreds of children are left motherless every year because of these crimes.

 

On the other hand, Latin America and the Caribbean register an average of 11 violent deaths of women for gender-related reasons every day, totaling 20,000 femicides in the last five years, according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

 

In the United States, approximately 1,800 women are murdered each year by men, mostly current or former partners, and the use of firearms drastically increases the lethality of these attacks. It's worth noting that the country lacks a unified federal legal definition of femicide.

 

Now the question arises naturally: Are jealousies controllable?

We could say yes. Jealousy is not an inevitable reaction, but an emotional response that can be managed, reduced, and transformed through self-reflection and changes in cognitive habits. The guidelines would be: “Identify the origin” because jealousy usually stems from fear of abandonment or personal insecurity, not from the other person's actions; “Take responsibility” because the emotion belongs to you and not to your partner or the environment; and “Avoid guilt” because feeling jealous is human, and what matters is how you react to it.

 

It is also important to rationalize thoughts, strengthen self-esteem, and change communication. And always, if jealousy is obsessive, destructive, or generates violence, seek the help of a professional psychologist because it will be the most effective way to heal the underlying causes.

 

Freud specifically stated that "in the treatment of such jealous subjects, one must avoid arguing with them about the material on which they rely and can only attempt to modify their interpretation of it."