jealousy

my 7 year old son seems unusually jealous, especially towards his 3 year old brother, but not limited to him. he seems to have a jealous personality, i know some adults in our family who are pretty jealous people, could it be hereditary? what can i do to keep it at bay? he gets mean towards his brother, however he is a good kid, does well in school ect.. please help

thank you,
lisa delgado

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Ms. Delgado,

You likely will not be able to do much about the trait of jealousy that your son displays. However, you can pay attention to how he treats people. If he displays jealousy, but is not mistreating anyone, you needn't intervene except to try to help him portray reality realistically. On the other hand, if his jealousy results in treating others badly, that is what the focus should be on, rather than the jealousy per se.