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Two types of jealousy have been described: pathological, in adults, generally connected with repressed homosexuality, and normal, in children, an expression
of Oedipal or sibling rivalry. Schmideberg believes these two types are closely related. Jealousy may be an attempt to deny and overcompensate for a schizoid inability to love fully. Oral and genital possessiveness with the desire to own the lover (mother) exclusively may produce jealousy. Similarly, the anal wish for domination and complete control over the love object may play a role: the jealous lover or child wants to turn his love object into a prisoner. Homosexual elements produce jealousy; such men are competitive with women. Tolerance of situations in which jealousy would be warranted is considered an admission of passive homosexuality, therefore the jealousy is an angry denial of such an inclination. Sometimes jealousy indicates doubt about one's own potency; possessiveness and bullying attitudes divert attention away from such doubts. Sadism is evident in jealous people in their attitudes toward their wives or lovers; masochism through identification with the love object is also prominent.
Feelings of jealousy are closely connected with feelings of being hurt or of loneliness, i.e. feeling unloved, and they merge into anxiety, depression, or feelings of inferiority. Feeling hurt is frequently the residue of childhood hurts. Persons suffering from excessive guilt are easily hurt because each disappointment is viewed as a punishment; they cling to hurt feelings which relieve their sense of guilt. Identification with an oversensitive parent may lead to a similar problem in the child.