Celotípia: When Jealousy Becomes Sick

The Celestípia Constitute those expressions of jealousy that are mismatched and incongruent with reality.

When we talk about celotípia we speak of the jealousy that they feel towards another person of an extremely intense form and they become an obsession that completely destroys the well-being of the individual who suffers it.

Jealousy is an emotion that comes from wanting to own the couple or loved one exclusively.

This emotion is a completely normal reaction and appears before the fear, real or not, of losing the couple or another loved one.

However, jealousy is not always normal, because on some occasions, because of the intensity, frequency or extreme interference that they can adopt, they can become pathological.

In this line, appears what is known as Celestípia , An emotion with a degree of intensity so high that it becomes delirious thoughts.

In this article we will talk about this psychopathological phenomenon, explain its characteristics and propose therapeutic interventions for this type of problem.

Jealousy: a normal emotion

Jealousy is an emotional reaction that all people can experience at some point in relation to a loved one with whom they have an affective bond.

Usually this feeling is associated with the relationships of couple since the amorous relationships are those that more favor the appearance of this type of emotions.

However, jealousy can also be experienced toward emotionally important persons other than the couple as siblings, parents or friends.

On the other hand, jealousy is also often associated with specific relationships, however, although an affective relationship is required with a person to experience jealousy, this emotional reaction is characteristic of the individual who presents them and can be closely linked with their personality .

As we have been commenting, jealousy is usually a manifestation of love that can be totally normal and even positive.

However, the person who is jealous is experiencing discomfort with symptoms such as anxiety , he nervousness Or even the impulsiveness .

Likewise, the comparisons that usually appear in times of jealousy can produce obsessions and cognitive rumination that cause discomfort.

However, the fundamental point that catalogs jealousy as normal and positive or pathological is the intensity of emotion and the rationality of associated thoughts.

In this way, jealousy can appear reasonably in multiple situations.

For example, jealous emotions can appear when a person tries to initiate a romantic relationship with your partner.

So, before the emergence of a person who can take your place (whether with your partner, a friend or a relative) it is completely normal to appear unpleasant feelings and emotional alterations.

In these cases, the appearance of jealousy may be more related to a specific situation than to the way of being or the inner thought of the person who experiences them.

Therefore, this emotional reaction can often be understood as an adaptive response to certain complicated situations.

Before this type of jealousy, it is not considered that there is any type of psychological alteration and the problematic can be approached from the relational point of view with the couple.

In this way, trying to discover when jealous feelings appear and to reason their origin can be very useful to begin to address the conflict of pair and manage the appearance of jealousy.

It is then necessary to talk to the person in question (partner, friend, family, etc.) to find solutions and receive information that can reduce the intensity of feelings and jealous thoughts.

Likewise, it is usually advisable to strengthen the relationship, work with trust and mutual respect.

How is a cellophile?

The cellophysical person can experience jealousy in such an exaggerated way that his jealous thoughts become totally irrational, obsessive and even delirious.

Thus cellopathy refers to a formal disorder of thought in which the ideas that are possessed of all aspects of jealousy are unreal, disproportionate, and the products of the functioning of one's own mind.

Thus, while a person who is jealous in a normal way can experience these feelings when his partner talks to a person who could attract or have a relationship with someone who could take your place, a cello person can experience constant jealousy And before any stimulus.

For example, a cellophalic person may think that his partner is being unfaithful to him by dressing him, putting on a shoe or eating a vegetable sprig.

As we see, in these cases the thoughts are delirious and have no congruence, so jealousy no longer constitute a normal reaction and make a psychopathological alteration.

Likewise, the cellophonic person can not remain in peace and harmony with his partner since all his actions and all his actions are determined by his jealousy, so the relationship is based on the cellophysical thoughts and emotions experienced by jealousy.

What are your symptoms?

The differentiation between cellopathy and normal jealousy can often be confusing because of the emotional load that these situations contain.

In this way, a person may experience jealousy in a relatively intense and irrational way, but not make up a delusional symptom in itself as cellopathy.

In order to clarify a little the characteristics that differentiate the normal jealousy of the celotípia, next we comment the symptoms of the last one.

The symptoms presented by a cellophysical person are:

• Presents anxiety And constant concern for your partner (or the person you are jealous of).

• Analyze and suspect each of the actions performed by your partner.

• He shows paranoid and even violent attitudes towards the couple.

• It isolates itself from its family nucleus and its social group since its thought focuses only on the jealous aspects.

• It presents a permanent need to be with your partner on a constant basis.

• He has constant suspicions of infidelities.

• It relates such suspicions to any type of action or stimulus that is totally arbitrary and irrational.

• He has constant feelings of abandonment and his cellophysical emotions are extreme when he is not with his partner.

• Conducts oversight and control behaviors of your partner exaggerated.

• Presents low self-esteem And constant feelings of insecurity.

Components of pathological jealousy

One of the components that have been most associated with relationships to experiencing feelings of jealousy is surrender.

We understand by delivery a series of attitudes that are made with the objective of providing support and help to a person with the aim of doing the same with you.

In this way, when someone surrenders, he expects, at the very least, to be reciprocated in the same way.

However, it is often difficult for couples to have a perfect relationship and reciprocity is always 50%.

Thus, decompensations in a relationship between two people can be sources of tension, misinterpretations and, therefore, experimentation with a wide range of emotions such as jealousy.

Likewise, delivery also includes a possessive component since surrendering, in a sense, means possessing certain aspects of a person.

In practice, it is obvious that nobody is from anyone, however, in relationships the aspects of possession are usually more complex and, therefore, makes jealousy more likely.

However, surrender is not the only important factor in the development of cellophysical emotions.

In fact, pathological jealousy can appear in a large number of situations and are subject to many psychological and situational variables.

As regards the psychological components, the most relevant are as follows.

1. Self esteem

One of the most important aspects of the self-esteem Is based on the capacity that it provides to develop the necessary resources to solve the difficulties that are presented.

Thus, a high self-esteem could be interpreted as the antithesis of the emotional dependence .

Given the close relationship between jealousy and emotional dependence, self-esteem could play a key role in developing feelings of jealousy.

Obviously, as we have remarked throughout the article, the inverse relationship between self-esteem and jealousy does not refer to jealousy cataloged as"normal", but to pathological jealousy, that is, cellopathy.

Thus, although the development of cellopathy goes far beyond the level of self-esteem of the person, the sense of possession may be more pathological in those people who have a low self-esteem and, therefore, can make it more prone to Appearance of irrational jealousy.

2. The paranoia

When we talk about celotípia we are talking about a way of thinking and reasoning illogical, paranoid and sometimes psychotic.

In this way, one can not speak of jealousy without taking into account its paranoid component, since non-paranoid and rational jealousies do not fall within the cataloging of this psychological alteration.

A person with cellophysics has a conviction about"his truth"totally immovable despite finding evidence that belies his cellophysical thoughts.

The cellophysical person configures a totally fixed way of thinking in his paranoia and his perception is totally governed by the cellopian thought, reason why it is usually totally impossible to convince the person of things that contradict his ideas.

3. Personality

Finally, there are certain personality traits that characterize jealous persons and, therefore, make the appearance of cellotipia more prone.

Among the most characteristic features of cellophysics are mistrust, self-centeredness, emotional dependence, insecurity And narcissism.

It should be noted that jealousy is an emotion that can arise in a normal way in anyone who experiences situations that incite mistrust and insecurity.

However, the way these feelings grow in the person who suffers it will determine the appearance of pathological jealousy, so that people with characteristics such as the ones just discussed may have a greater predisposition to turn their jealousy into cellotipia.

Intervention for celotípia

Celotípia usually is a psychological alteration that causes much discomfort in the person who suffers it and can have very negative consequences in the jealous relation.

In this way, intervening in this alteration as soon as possible is of vital importance for the well-being of the two persons in the relationship.

There are many psychological therapies to intervene cellopathy and try to mitigate the negative effects of thoughts that produce jealousy and discomfort in the relationship.

In this line, from clinical psychology and couple therapies, four basic interventions for these types of problems are postulated. These are:

1. Exercise the brake of negative thoughts

We work through different cognitive techniques to reduce the intensity of cellophysical thoughts and try to substitute for more rational ones, which provide security and confidence to the person.

2. Avoiding verifiable behavior

One of the main components that maintain and increase the cellophysical thoughts are the behaviors that are realized to verify the content of what is thought.

Thus, we work to reduce the frequency with which these actions are carried out and propose alternative activities that contribute serenity and tranquility instead intense emotions of jealousy.

3. Accept individual and shared spaces

The intervention for the celotípia can not be based solely on the person who presents the alteration but it is important to include the two people of the couple and work together to accept the individual spaces of each one.

4. Practice communication skills and emotional self-control

Solutions are sought for the various problems that arise and we work to develop the emotional control necessary to manage them properly.

References

1. Echeburúa, E. and Fernández-Montalvo, J. (1999). The pathology of jealousy: descriptive analysis and therapeutic proposals. Analysis and Modification of Conduct, 25 (99), 5-25.
2. Echeburúa, E. and Fernández-Montalvo J. (2001). Jealousy in the couple: a destructive emotion. Ariel.
3. Molina Cobos, FJ., Gómez Becerra, I. and Molina Moreno, A. (1998). Analysis and functional intervention in cellotipia. In M.C. Luciano, F Molina and J. Gil (Eds.), Functional analysis and intervention in clinical psychology (pp. 151-165). Grenada: Nemesis.
4. Mullen, P.E. And Martin, J. (1994). Jealousy: a community study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164 (1), 35-43.
5. Wilson, K.G., Luciano, C. (2002). Acceptance and commitment therapy. A behavioral treatment oriented to values. Madrid: Pyramid.
6. Image source.