Jealousy [Paperback]

Nancy Friday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 1997

A new edition of Nancy Friday's classic book makes available, once again, this searingly honest analysis of the deeply rooted, often hidden, human emotion that distorts our most intimate relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For Friday, first learning, then writing, about a problem is a way of solving it. She is herself a jealous woman, she says, and in this book she probes the fear of loss of love, envy, and power, because in her mind the three are inextricably mixed. Many of her insights come from her reading of psychoanalytic works, particularly those of Melanie Klein, others come from discussions with friends and colleagues. She describes infantile envy and rage, the raw jealousy of young siblings, how men and women regulate their lives to avoid the lessons of jealousy learned in childhood, and how love and gratitude can overcome envy. Friday's reputation makes this a necessary purchase for most libraries, but readers who do not share the author's interest in jealousy may find the book rather heavy going. Margaret Allen, M.L.S., formerly with Bennington Free Lib., Vt.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 554 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company; 2nd edition (September 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087131844X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871318442
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NANCY FRIDAY is the author of eight books: MY SECRET GARDEN, FORBIDDEN FLOWERS, JEALOUSY, MEN IN LOVE, MY MOTHER/MY SELF, WOMEN ON TOP, THE POWER OF BEAUTY and OUR LOOKS, OUR LIVES. She lives in Key West, Florida, and in Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About a lot more than just jealousy, March 28, 2000

By 

R. Wallace "Bob Wallace" (St. Louis, Mo USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jealousy (Paperback)

Nancy Friday makes easy going of a complex subject -- Object Relations Theory, which todays stands as the most complete (and therefore powerful) explanation of the human psyche. The title is catchy, but doesn't give the full flavor of the book. It's about _a lot_ more than just jealousy. Drawing upon myth, history, literature, psychological experiments and psycho-analytic theory, Friday lucidly illustrates the not-so-tangled relationships between envy, jealousy, hate, rage, admiration, denial, denigration, idealization, gratitude. . .it sounds complex, but isn't. This book is the best explanation of Object Relations Theory that I have yet encountered.

33 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for knowing our jealousy /envy beginnings, July 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Jealousy (Paperback)

I have just completed this title for the fourth time in as many years. It continues to illuminate the hidden recesses in the dark corners of my mind. Nancy Friday's expose of her own pain of self discovery, encourages the capacity we all have to delve into the blocks to our true "Self" expression and free us from reactive habit patterns, to be more complete and true to ourselves, the further we go. It is a lifelong task for many of us and along with the self revelations in M.Scott-Peck's works, this book has helped me to understand I was not the only one with some desperate, frightened, dark and violent feelings in certain circumstances. These feelings are in Western society extremely misunderstood and frowned on by those people who hide under the veneer of social respectability on the outside, whilst often showing their true colours at home or some place where they will not be identified. Often these feelings are also so totally suppressed as to eventually ca! use physical illness within their body. You only need to look inside any aged care facility to see evidence of this, as bitterness, childish manipulation, sarcasm, ill-health and total self absorption are very clear to see. Often these people have lived their lives according to some other persons' ideals or expectations of them, consequently never finding out who the real person inside them was. Through fear, borne from many sources, they been unable to be themselves and chose a path of superficiality, not game to express their anger or feelings which is still socially symptomatic of being out of control or "mad". These feelings stem at any age but is acknowledged as usually stemming from early childhood, and often are a reaction to the lack of respect for their humaness or even their existence which makes them feel less or unworthy of the love and approval of their uniqueness. Maybe when we start delving into ourselves, painful and frighteningly vulnerable as it ca! n be, rather than looking beyond our immediate selves, we m! ay begin to realise that a world that is kind and loving and caring can exist. When we learn to take responsibility for ourselves first it will then become second nature to care for others. Too often we hear the cry of blame when people of all ages commit horrendous crimes but rather than criticise maybe we need to look at the way we use and manipulate each other to get our childish needs met, rather than as adults learning to meet our own needs and often, that is just a case of asking for help when we realy are stuck. Difficult at times, but just the courage communicate to ourselves what we need and want, can give us the strength to ask others if it is something we cannot do alone. As single human beings we are limited but that limitation can be extended when we learn to communicate and are prepared to give and take so that we all have what we need.

4.0 out of 5 stars An emotional journey, August 9, 2011

By 

Chillyayo (NyC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jealousy (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far one of the better books on the subject of jealousy I've read in quite some time. Nancy Friday is an all too average woman whose hardship with her father has created inside of her a need to be at the mercy of men. What makes the Jealousy interesting is that Nancy isn't a psychologist yet researches psychology just as thorough as a graduate student and elaborates interesting theories from her research. Nancy also speaks regularly with her therapist and even goes as far as recording and transcribing her sessions, giving the book an intimate and person touch.

Nancy's relationships with men are also written out in great detail as only a woman troubled with jealousy could explore.

Some of Nancy Friday's theories about jealousy are a little far-fetched as she does try to play armchair psychiatrist a little too much. However, the wisdom in Jealousy is found in Nancy Friday's catharsis, as she unselfishly makes herself vulnerable by revealing her raw thoughts and emotions; her mistrust of men and unreasonable reliance on them makes for an interesting read.

Nancy Friday's Jealousy is a journey in self-discovery as she clearly isn't sure about herself or her feelings. Each page turned gives the reader a little more insight into the jealousy feelings Nancy Friday suffers. And together the reader and Nancy discover the green monster that is jealousy hiding inside her and most people who are too afraid to admit they have jealousy.