Is It Ever OK for a Guy to Be Jealous?

By CC Staff

[This post is courtesy of our gal pal, Marie Claire.]

Most of the time I see jealous and overly possessive guys driving their girlfriends away.    They appear to be controlling and insecure.

But, then again, if you don’t act jealous at all, you look like you don’t care.  Sadly, I’ve seen women admit that it’s nice to know that their guy is a little jealous or possessive of them.

So let’s go over the characters in our lives that may make our significant others jealous:

Ex boyfriend/girlfriend– When you manage to remain friends with your ex, it can be a source of jealousy for any new person you date.  Just like any friend, you may spend time with your ex, and you’ll expect your significant other to be secure enough to deal with this.

Friends– There are all types of friends that can make someone jealous.  There can be a competition between your best friend and your significant other, who believes that the two of you are best friends.

Family– Sometimes certain family members are just so close to that person you’re dating.  Whether it’s a parent or a sibling, you may feel inadequate compared to the relationship they share.  They had-in most cases-a huge head start in creating a relationship with your loved one, so sometimes it’s a little intimidating when they are so close to particular family members.

Work– Remember that Saved by The Bell where Zach’s dad was not paying enough attention to him because he was always on his cell phone?  Finally, Zach took the cell phone away (that cell phone was the size of some of an airline carry-on bag by the way), and his dad realized that he had been too into his work.  When someone is too into work, you begin to resent that job they are so into.

Pets– My mom definitely treats the cats better than she treats my dad.  He’s pretty secure, so he doesn’t mind, but I’ve definitely seen her yell at him for lots of reasons, while the cats can do no wrong.

Material Goods– This is rare, but sometimes guys get way to into their car or other material goods.

Read the rest at Marie Claire!