Question: For my EPQ I am studying what factors affect jealousy in romantic relationships. What specific factors do you think would be most interesting and easily accessible for me to focus on?

Rose Turner answered on 15 Jun 2017:

Sounds like a really interesting project, Sarah 🙂 and highly relevant to lots of people!
There are bound to be a range of personality traits (which may have a genetic basis) and social factors at play – and these will interact.
Some personality traits appear to link to the tendency to feel jealous, such as neuroticism. Attachment styles could be an interesting area to look at – there is lots of research that suggests that attachment styles we have in childhood are, to a degree, mirrored in adult romantic relationships (the work of Melanie Klein might be useful to you). For example, people with an anxious attachment style can often experience jealousy.
Then there are social factors, like our previous experiences (we might be more prone to jealousy if we have been let down by a previous partner for example), and the dynamics of the relationship (e.g. one might feel jealous if they are very dependent on their partner, or if there are imbalances in the relationship.
If you are interested in an overarching framework for why humans feel jealous, you might find evolutionary psychology brings a useful perspective. I think Helen Fisher (who has a Ted Talks you might like) does some work in this area.
It’s certainly a very rich area and one where I’m sure you’ll find lots of interesting aspects to look at! 🙂