Exploring Jealousy: Insights and Recommendations for Men’s Emotional Well-being

• In a psychoeducational space organized by Línea Calma, some men from the city spoke naturally about jealousy, what it means to them and what they do when they feel it. In addition, they received recommendations to process them properly.
• For men who feel jealous or are faced with emotional problems that they cannot handle, there is the Calm Line, a channel that provides professional psychological help so that they can adequately address these situations.
• Those interested can directly dial the number 018000423614. The line receives calls from Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 pm

Fear, insecurity, resentment, impotence, disagreement, discomfort and lack of confidence are some of the words with which men in Bogotá usually associate representations and meanings of jealousy.

This was stated by the participants (between the ages of 20 and 40) in a group psychoeducational space around this topic, led by professionals from Línea Calma, whose purpose was to “resignify jealousy and its positive experience, in order to contribute to a cultural and behavioral change regarding education and macho culture”.

According to Camilo Tiria, director of the Cultural Knowledge Management Observatory of the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Sports, jealousy has negative meanings in some sectors of society, “configuring guilt and discomfort on those who experience them, which can be limiting for those who feel them, because by feeling ashamed of their experience, the possibility of seeking help and allowing themselves to change is further distanced. The approach to jealousy implies a prior diagnosis that allows the meanings and beliefs linked to them to be expanded, according to the contexts and circumstances”.

The reactions that men manifest when they feel jealous are linked to the ‘ice law’ and the elimination of affections: “well, if that’s the way things are, I’ll take away something that I was giving you,” says one of the participants to the psychoeducational space organized by Línea Calma. But they are also related to the repression of emotion without communicating it or with situations of violence.

According to Tiria, it is essential to approach jealousy in a healthy and respectful way in order to avoid harmful behaviors for the man who feels it and for others. “If jealousy is generating situations of violence or aggression, it is essential to seek professional help to properly manage these emotions and behaviors.”

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Precisely to advise men in handling emotional situations of any kind (anxiety, depression, economic worries, family problems, jealousy, loneliness and love duels, among others) the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Sports created the Calm Line. This listening space dedicated to men, from 2020 to date, has received more than 16,600 calls and has advanced 3,500 psychoeducational processes.

“We are proud of this service channel that provides psychoeducational support with tools for cultural and behavioral change so that interested men can unlearn machismo and are trained in key aspects for peaceful coexistence and violence prevention. The records indicate that men feel better, express themselves better and have even managed to resolve their conflicts peacefully, thanks to the guidance of the Calm Line. Our purpose is to continue multiplying this message. For this reason, we invite you to call this line because it can change your life”said Catalina Valencia, Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Sports.

The men’s reports when they thought about what they did while feeling jealous allowed them to talk naturally about the discomforts associated with it and consider more careful alternatives, in the style of advice, for managing this feeling, from emotional management and communication respectful

These recommendations are divided into six categories: normalize discomfort linked to jealousy, review the consequences of actions before making a decision, have emotional control as a way to prevent violence, recognize one’s own autonomy and that of people, communicate assertively discomfort and ask for help.

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Any man over 18 years of age who lives in Bogotá and needs help to better process his own emotions, to prevent gender violence or to resolve situations of emotional conflict with other people such as a partner, family or friends, can call the Calm Line.

Those interested can directly dial the number 018000423614. The line receives calls from Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 pm

Learn about the complete results of the research “Analysis of Calma 2023 psychoeducational results, focused on the management of jealousy in men” and an infographic on tips for processing jealousy.