What is delusional jealousy?
Delusional jealousy, also known as morbid jealousy or Othello syndrome, occurs when someone is convinced that their partner has committed infidelity despite having little or no evidence. A delusion is a false belief. Those suffering from delusional jealousy have persistent, excessive, irrational, and unfounded suspicions about their partner’s fidelity.
Because they have made up their minds, it’s usually hard to convince them otherwise. Their confirmation bias makes them selectively focus on ‘evidence’ that confirms their suspicions while ignoring information contrary to it. While normal people can also show morbid jealousy, it’s often associated with:
- Delusional disorder (Jealous type)
- Schizophrenia1Soyka, M., & Schmidt, P. (2011). Prevalence of delusional jealousy in psychiatric disorders. Journal of forensic sciences, 56(2), 450-452.
- Anxiety disorders
- Personality disorders
Normal vs. delusional jealousy
Jealousy is a normal human emotion triggered when we perceive a threat to something we value- often resources and relationships. Normal jealousy gets triggered occasionally and usually subsides when the jealous person realizes their jealousy is unfounded, unless it’s not. It doesn’t turn into a conviction quickly, based on little evidence, as in delusional jealousy.
If jealous thoughts and feelings persist, they can cause significant distress in the jealous person. Such a condition is called obsessive jealousy, and it is related to OCD. All delusional jealousy is obsessive, but all obsessive jealousy may not be delusional.
Insecurity
In normal people who don’t suffer from mental health conditions, insecurity is one of the biggest reasons behind delusional jealousy. When a person feels insecure in a relationship, they have a lower threshold for experiencing jealous reactions than the average person.2Mullins, D. (2010). Morbid jealousy: the green-eyed monster. Irish journal of psychological medicine, 27(2), i-vii.
Relational insecurity may be caused by:
- Low self-esteem
- Insecure attachment (particularly fearful and preoccupied types)3Kingham, M., & Gordon, H. (2004). Aspects of morbid jealousy. Advances in psychiatric Treatment, 10(3), 207-215.
- Believing you’re not attractive enough (low mate value)
- Sexual dysfunction4Pinho, S. A., Leitão, F., Freitas, J. R., & Coutinho, F. (2024). Review of Delusional Jealousy and Its Association with Sexual Dysfunctions. European Psychiatry, 67(S1), S760-S760.
- Old age (lowers mate value)
- Past infidelity
