Article Summary for Literature Review (2)

SHENG H(2023). Exploring the Effects of Chinese Mother Jealousy on Adolescent Daughters: An Analysis Based on Online Interview Data[J]. Journal of humanities and social sciences studies, 2023, 82 1: 0. DOI:10.32996/jhsss.2023.5.10.5.

Causes of Maternal Jealousy:

1. Chinese society emphasises female youth and beauty, leading mothers to feel jealous as they grow older and compare themselves to their adolescent daughters.

2. As daughters become more independent during adolescence, the loss of control can cause mothers to feel insecure and jealous.

3. Mothers may also feel jealous when their daughters are more successful than they are socially or educationally.

4. Family dynamics under the influence of Chinese patriarchal culture are such that in triangular relationships, mothers who feel undervalued or neglected may resent the attention and favour given to their daughters.

Types of jealousy and their effects:

1. Appearance Jealousy: For mothers, this jealousy can exacerbate their dissatisfaction with their own ageing process and appearance, leading to emotional tension, which can devalue daughters‘ appearance and attempt to control their daughters’ image in order to alleviate their own insecurities. This can have a negative impact on daughters' body image and self-esteem, making them feel unattractive or inadequate.

2. Social Jealousy: Mothers may limit their daughters' social activities, especially if they find their daughters more successful or popular socially. This may result in daughters' inability to establish meaningful social relationships, leading to social anxiety, lack of social skills and identity confusion.

3. Achievement Jealousy: For mothers, this jealousy often arises from their own sense of missed opportunities, devaluing their daughters‘ successes in academics and extracurricular activities, leading them to adopt a dismissive or critical attitude towards their daughters’ achievements.This can cause their daughters to question their own abilities and diminish their motivation. Leading them to attribute their success to luck rather than their own abilities, which reduces their confidence, motivation and overall momentum.

   
   

   Impact on Mothers and Daughters: Mother's jealousy has a significant negative impact on both mothers and daughters. For mothers, jealousy usually leads to emotional stress that manifests itself in controlling or critical behaviour. This emotional stress stems from dissatisfaction with one's own life and insecurity related to aging, social status, and personal achievement. For daughters, the effects are more far-reaching and include reduced self-esteem, impaired socialisation and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Summarise:

Sheng (2023) explored the impact of mothers‘ jealousy on their daughters in the context of Chinese society, identifying several major causes of mothers’ jealousy, including age- and appearance-related insecurity, changes in parent-child relationships, social relationships, educational achievement, and the patriarchal culture of China. As well, there are three main manifestations of maternal jealousy: appearance jealousy, social jealousy, and achievement jealousy. Specifically appearance envy can lead mothers to devalue their daughters' appearance and image, which can negatively affect their self-esteem. Social jealousy can limit a daughter's social interactions, triggering social anxiety and identity issues. Achievement envy involves mothers devaluing their daughters' achievements, causing them to question their abilities and discouraging them.

According to Sheng (2023), mother's jealousy is a great challenge to the mother-daughter relationship. For mothers, jealousy often leads to emotional tension, controlling or critical behaviour. For daughters, the consequences are far-reaching, including lowered self-esteem, social difficulties, and mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.