How Jealousy Made Lisa Marie Nowak and Other Smart Women Do Dumb Things

The world was stunned to hear the sordid story of diapered astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak, who drove in a desperate frenzy from Houston to Orlando to confront her romantic rival U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. It seems that Nowak was jealous that fellow astronaut William Oefelein, whom she apparently was in love with, was dating Shipman. Nowak's intention, she claimed, was merely to "scare" Shipman

into leaving Oefelein alone. Nowak, dressed in wig and trenchcoat and carrying $600, a 4-inch buck knife, steel mallet, rubber tubing, black gloves, garbage bags confronted Shipman and sprayed her with pepper spray. When the terrified Shipman drove away to get help, the cops returned and arrested her as she attempted to throw away her wig and other incriminating evidence.

Here was a seemingly brilliant woman with an enviable career, yet she sacrificed all of it over a man. Why, news commentators asked, would make someone of her caliber sink so low? There's no big mystery here. The truth is that jealousy, that horrendous green-eyed-monster, can make a fool even out of the best among us. It doesn't matter how intelligent, wealthy and privileged you are or aren't. Once you get overtaken by so consuming an emotion, especially when it revolves around a love relationship, it is often difficult to turn back.

Lisa Marie Nowak is just one of many otherwise reasonable women who let jealousy cause them to do the outlandish:

...In March, 2003, 29-year old Miacona Dickerson confronted her estranged husband, 29-year-old Clifton Dickerson, as he stood outside in an apartment parking lot with a female friend of his. The married couple argued and Miacama took out a knife and slashed Clifton on the arm. When he attempted to run away to safety, she then pressed the peddle to the meddle and ran him down with her car, seriously injuring him. She was charged with aggravated assault by a deadly weapon (her vehicle being the said "weapon") and bond was set at $50,000.