PARENTAL FAVORITISM : The Reason Behind Birth of Jealousy

In most families, parental favoritism is evident. This, in turn, can lead to jealousy in children. To put it another way, jealousy is a reaction to a real or perceived loss of affection from someone close to you. Often, it is a person’s or individual’s social circumstance that causes envy.

Jealousy in childhood begins at home. The new baby consumes most of the parents’ attention and time. As a result, the older child feels neglected, and jealousy develops. The elder child develops resentment toward both the mother and the new infant. Negative emotion arises such as fear, where the child feels he or she is not important anymore or is being excluded from the family. Children cannot simply fall in love with a newborn. Therefore, it is critical that parents make time for the older child, telling him or her that they are valuable and loved by the family. Jealousy of this nature can have a significant impact on a child’s self-esteem and confidence.

Parental favoritism can affect the child even in school. When children feel they are been deprived of some material possessions that other children have, this may lead to jealousy. Jealousy cannot be totally avoided, but it can be minimised or dealt with. Parents should teach their children to convert their negative feeling to positive one. The stress of coping up with new sibling can be transformed into new skills by teaching children to share, cooperate and by being down to earth. Parents must spend their time with older child to make sure he or she is ready to meet his or her sibling. This may help to minimize the sibling rivalry.

This form of jealousy can carry over into adulthood, where feelings or thoughts arise when a cherished relationship is challenged by someone else. A jealous individual may feel insecure in a relationship. He or she can be afraid of losing loved ones. Consequently, there is a breakdown and lack of trust between the two. Jealousy consumes the individual, which might lead to the termination of a relationship.