Rebecca syndrome: what it is and how to recognize it

Rebecca syndrome is a form of jealousy of one’s partner’s past. Let’s find out what it is specifically and what are the symptoms to recognize.

When we talk about Rebecca syndrome we mean a form of jealousy that arises from the love past of one’s partner. This pathology is in fact also called retroactive jealousy. Unlike the common jealousy, which in small doses is more than normal in love , this one represents a real obsession for those who feel it. In fact, it manifests itself with episodes of jealousy towards the exes of one’s partner and with such a fear of abandonment that, in most cases, it pushes to put an end to the relationship .

Rebecca syndrome: causes and symptoms

For retroactive jealousy, the causes are different. On the one hand, there is a low self-esteem that pushes those who try it to compare themselves with people of the past . On the other hand, there is a great fear of abandonment.

In some cases, however, this syndrome can also be triggered by past traumatic experiences such as, for example, betrayal by the partner or traumatic stories lived in the family environment.

Going to the symptoms, in most cases it can start as any form of jealousy, slowly revealing itself due to some characteristics that get worse over time. In fact, those who suffer from it tend to experience the past more than the present and feel a need to know everything about the ex of their partner. Need which is countered by a strong sense of annoyance in hearing about it.

The exes or one in particular towards whom there is more apprehension, are mythologized and seen as perfect and this leads to always feeling inferior , to have more fear and to become obsessive and sometimes even aggressive. It is a problem that can affect both sexes even if often women seem more focused on the sentimental aspect while men tend to be worse off from sexual backgrounds.

Rebecca syndrome: how to heal

In order to recover from this syndrome it is important first of all to realize that you have it and to seek a solution yourself. It is indeed important that those who suffer from it are able to receive personal help in order to be able to work on their self-esteem .

At the same time it can obviously be useful to work on the couple in order to establish a dialogue that helps both parties to deal with the problem in a harmonious way and using the right words.
It is therefore a problem that, if faced in the right way and with the collaboration of the partner, can be solved by going to heal those fears that over time risk corroding even the most beautiful stories.