“"Jealousy is a survival strategy, not a destructive emotion"
According to the expert, this reaction is an evolutionary defense mechanism that has historically allowed children to increase their chances of survival. González asserts that sibling jealousy cannot be compared to that experienced by an adult, since in childhood there is a vital component.
“"Unlike the adolescent boy who has tremendous jealousy but won't go without dinner because of it, the 2, 3, or 4-year-old child whose sibling is born is truly playing for their life"
The pediatrician points out that young children are completely dependent on their parents to subsist. To illustrate this, González turns to biology, comparing the reaction to that of other species: “Throughout evolution, the stag that expelled other males has had more descendants; the child who showed jealousy has had a higher probability of survival.”
Therefore, childhood jealousy is neither a whim nor a negative emotion, but an instinctive response. Carlos González invites parents to understand this jealousy as an affective need, and not as a behavior to be repressed, emphasizing the importance of supporting the older child.
