Jealousy and the `Third' Person in the Love Triangle

Abstract

This questionnaire study compared aspects of jealousy for 282 young adult respondents who had been in one of three different types of relationship: those in a traditional dating relationship, those who had a relationship with someone who was simultaneously dating someone else and those who had a relationship with someone who was married. In comparison with traditional dating relationships, respondents from both types of collateral relationships reported less upset if their partner were to engage in jealousy-evoking behavior with the other person. Furthermore, these respondents characterized their relationships as less involved (for example, less love, commitment, need fulfillment), in comparison with those in traditional dating relationships. There was only limited evidence that the collateral relationships were exploitative or one-sided and this evidence was most prevalent in collateral relationships with a dating partner.