Exploring the Effects of Chinese Mother Jealousy on Adolescent Daughters: An Analysis Based on Online Interview Data

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the effects of Chinese mothers being jealous of their adolescent daughters. Adolescence is a critical period where maternal mood and attitudes have important effects on daughter’s development and mental well-being. Eight adolescent daughters were interviewed on the Internet. The content of the interviews mainly covered the mother's jealousy about her daughter's appearance, achievements and social interaction. Through the content analysis of the interview data, the researcher tried to understand the effects of maternal jealousy on their daughters and the causes and forms of jealousy emotions. The purpose of this study is to deeply understand the influence of Chinese mothers’ jealousy on their adolescent daughters. By analyzing data from online interviews, the researcher hopes to reveal how mothers’ jealousy affects their daughter's self-esteem and physical and mental health, as well as the causes and specific manifestations of the jealousy. Based on the analysis of the interview data of eight adolescent daughters, the results of the study revealed that Chinese mother’s appearance jealousy has a negative impact on their daughter's physical self-esteem. Social jealousy is mainly reflected in the jealousy of her daughter's social relationships and interpersonal skills, which may lead to the daughter feeling insecure or inferior in the social circle. Achievement jealousy mainly manifests itself as jealousy of her daughter's academic and career success, which may lead to guilt or uneasiness in her pursuit of achievement. In a word, the jealousy of Chinese mothers has a negative impact on the self-esteem and physical and mental health of their adolescent daughters. Understanding the causes and forms of this kind of jealousy is of great significance for promoting the harmonious development of the mother-daughter relationship and the healthy growth of their daughters.