Known as Othello Syndrome , “pathological jealousy” is a disease that needs to be treated, and if it is not left, it negatively affects one’s relationships and life.
Othello Syndrome is named after Shakespeare’s play Othello. Othello is the name of the main character and he kills his beloved wife because he succumbs to his deep jealousy.
Jealousy is one of our emotions that fuels love in bilateral romantic relationships and can make love feel more intense. From time to time, we get jealous of our beloved spouse and partner. Psychologist Burcu Teker explained the symptoms of Othello Syndrome.
Extreme jealousy poisons life
So what happens if these jealousies go too far? If it is combined with suspicion along with extreme jealousy, a pathological situation arises. Psychosis, which we call Othello Syndrome, is a disorder that negatively affects a person’s relationships and can lead to situations that can make life toxic to both himself and the other person.
People who experience this syndrome;
- They are extremely jealous of everyone they love.
- Although there are no suspicious factors, they believe them by creating various scenarios in their minds.
- They develop separation phobia because they fear separation from their spouse or partner.
- They can get angry quickly and tend to be violent.
Because they believe that their spouse or partner can cheat on them, they are constantly looking for real evidence. They interfere with many personal areas such as phone, mail, messages without permission. They may have great doubts about even the smallest matter. In case of a late answer to the phone, they bring the worst scenario to their mind and blame the other party. They do not care for logical explanations and are very difficult to persuade. Such a relationship is also very challenging for the other party.
Excessive jealousy is not love, it’s a nuisance
Pathological jealousy is more common in men than in women. The person who does not want to live in a relationship where he is constantly blamed and excessively restrained wants to leave as he is. The party experiencing pathological jealousy has an intense fear of separation and may tend to threat and violence because he does not want to leave his partner’s life. He does not see himself as unfair in all the negativities he has experienced and may claim that he did all these because he loves them.
When the underlying causes of pathological jealousy were examined, low self-confidence and low self-perception were observed in these individuals. Othello Syndrome, which is pathological jealousy, must be treated.
