Emotional reactions to perceived and real romantic infidelity have been implicated as a leading cause of homicide in many human cultures. Jealousy also plays a role in domestic violence and family breakup. Current research on jealousy has centered on Darwinian analyses that view jealousy as a specific innate adaptation that takes different forms in men and women. According to this perspective, men are innately disposed to react with hostility to indications of sexual infidelity, while women are innately disposed to react most intensely to indications of emotional infidelity. The research proposed here will critically examine this theory and contrast it with alternative accounts emphasizing social cognition. Psychophysiological reactions to jealousy-eliciting situations will be examined in detail to elucidate sex differences and the nature of the emotion of jealousy itself. Whereas almost all research pertaining to jealousy and infidelity has focused on one aspect of mating psychology at a time, the proposed studies will explore the interrelation of jealousy with other individual differences, including sexual experience, relationship history and sociosexuality. The proposed work will also depart from the exclusive focus on hypothetical responses by collecting and analyzing a large group of subjects' descriptions of emotional reactions to actual incidents of infidelity in their lives. The sample will include a wide age range of adults of homosexual and heterosexual orientations, allowing us to test the divergent predictions of the two theories concerning jealousy in homosexual individuals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH061626-02
Application #
6392793
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-RPHB-4 (01))
Program Officer
Oliveri, Mary Ellen
Project Start
2000-06-01
Project End
2003-05-31
Budget Start
2001-06-01
Budget End
2002-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$91,175
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Diego
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
077758407
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92093