Rebecca Syndrome

The Rebecca Syndrome is also known as Retroactive jealousy. It is the pathological emergence of jealousy towards an ex-partner of the current partner of the person experiencing it. In other words: It describes a severe form of pathological jealousy that a person experiences toward their partner's former lover.

The name of this syndrome was coined around the year 2006 by Dr. Darian Leader, a psychoanalyst and founding member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research in London (UK). ,

The feeling of jealousy is considered pathological when it arises without solid grounds and when it reaches dimensions that affect the normal behavior of the person suffering from it.

This syndrome is named in homage to the novel Rebecca, written by Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989). The novel tells the story of Mrs de Winter who moves to Manderley with her new husband. She is haunted by the ghost of his late wife Rebecca - convinced he is still deeply in love with this seemingly perfect woman[1].

For some people, the Rebecca Syndrome is torturous. A relationship between two people might unconsciously be between three people. The ghost is always there.

The Rebecca Syndrome is not (yet) officially recognized as a psychological disorder in mainstream diagnostic classifications. It serves more as a cultural reference. The obsessions associated with this condition can lead to intrusive thoughts, stalking behaviors, and other negative consequences.

[1] Lee Glendinning: Rebecca syndrome: Or why increasing numbers of divorced and bereaved men are remarrying the 'ghosts' of their former wives in The Independent – 2006. See here.