Signs of Jealousy in Friendship

Confront a so-called friend if she sports a jealous scowl.

Jealousy occurs between two friends when one person is jealous of what the other one has in her life. This can occur when a friend is jealous of your career, the amount of money you have or a relationship. Weeding out jealous friends allows you to separate the true friends from the fake friends.

Criticized in Public

One sign that your friend is jealous of you is that they criticize you in public. It may be done in an overt way, such as when your friend openly makes a remark about you to someone you are standing with at a gathering. For instance, the friend might say "I'm so sorry we were late, you know who is never on time to pick me up." Or it might be done in a subtler fashion, such as "I don't think you should go back to work so soon after having your baby; a good mother wouldn't do that." The key is that your so-called friend is willing to speak negatively about you in front of you.

Overt Praise

Another trait that someone is jealous of you is that they just cannot stop praising you for something. For instance, if you got a promotion, they might say "Congratulations, I am so happy for you." Then in an hour, they might again say "You know I was thinking about it, and it is really great you got that promotion." Later in the day, they may add "Have I told you how happy I am you got that promotion?" By repeating it over and over again, it means she cannot wrap her mind around or accept the good news.

Taking Credit

Another sign of jealousy is that your friend continues to take credit for things you accomplished. For instance, if you closed a big deal at the office, your friend might say to the boss, "I was really glad I was there to push it through," or it might be something like "Without me, it never would've gotten done." Be leery of the friend who has no problem promoting how important they were in an equation, especially if they were never a part of it.

The Backstabber

If a friend of yours is always dishing dirt about other social relationships in her life, then it stands to reason that she may be doing the exact same thing to you. If she talks about ex-lovers, ex-friends or even current lovers, friends or family in an overtly negatively light, it means she will most likely shoot her mouth off about you as well. Limit your responses to her because it might repeated.

References

• Top 54 U: Signs of Jealousy in Friendship
• The Cubicle Chick: Having a Jealous Friend or Frenemy