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- Envy (8)
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- On Jealousy and Envy (2)
- Klutching Envy (2)
- Envie (1)
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Envy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Envy is an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."[1]. It is a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been him or her who had the desired object.[2][3]
Although envy is generally seen as something negative, Russell (1930, p. 82) referred to envy as “one of the most universal and deep-seated of human passions” and the tendency to feel envy seems to be present in all cultures [4][5].
Envy (and furthermore jealousy, anger and aggression) are controlled and created by the medulla oblongata, the sector of the brain that controls aggressive behaviour[citation needed].
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The word jealous is often used to describe an envious state. In its correct usage, jealousy is the fear of losing something to another person (a loved one in the prototypical form), while envy is the pain or frustration caused by another person having something that one does not have oneself.
Aristotle (in Rhetoric) defined envy "as the pain caused by the good fortune of others", while Kant defined it as "a reluctance to see our own well-being overshadowed by another's because the standard we use to see how well off we are is not the intrinsic worth of our own well-being but how it compares with that of others" (in Metaphysics of Morals).
In some cultures, envy is often associated with the color green, as in "green with envy". The phrase "green-eyed monster" refers to an individual whose current actions appear motivated by envy. This is based on a line from Shakespeare's Othello. Shakespeare mentions it also in The Merchant of Venice when Portia states: "How all the other passions fleet to air, as doubtful thoughts and rash embraced despair and shuddering fear and green-eyed jealousy!" Envy is known as one of the most powerful human emotions for its ability to control one as if envy was an entity in itself. Countless men and women have fallen prey to brief periods of intense envy followed by anger which then translates into aggression. One of the most common examples is a pair of lovers in which a secret love is discovered and can lead to sorrow, then intense envy, and eventually anger and aggression.
Envy is one of the Seven deadly sins of the Catholic Church.
The book of Exodus states:
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey."
Perhaps today the donkey corresponds to a car, but it could represent anything desirable owned by another. The donkey cannot be readily stolen as it would be obvious. However being envious of the donkey as a possession is to be avoided, as it could lead to ungodly thoughts or deeds toward the neighbour or the donkey.
It's important to make the distinction between desiring something someone else has, and envying them because of something they have. Envy relates to negative feelings toward a person because of something they own.
Schoeck, H. (1969). Envy: A theory of social behavior. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
- ^ Parrott, W. G., & Smith, R. H. (1993). Distinguishing the experiences of envy and jealousy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 906-920.
- ^ Salovey, P., & Rodin, J. (1984). Some antecedents and consequences of social comparison jealousy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 780-792.
- ^ Elster, J. (1991). Envy in social life. In R. J. Zeckhauser (Ed.), Strategy and choices(pp. 49-82). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- ^ Foster, G. M. (1972). The anatomy of envy: A study in symbolic behavior. Current Anthropology, 13, 165-202.
- ^ Schoeck, H. (1969). Envy: A theory of social behavior. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
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