An Emotion Divided

Abstract

The recent surge in envy research has brought with it a line of inquiry differentiating between “benign” and “malicious” envy. “Benign” envy involves the motivation to improve the self, leading to socially desirable reactions. “Malicious” envy involves the motivation to harm the envied other, leading to socially undesirable reactions. We suggest that studying “benign” and “malicious” envy involves confounding envy with its outcomes, which causes confusion and impairs the understanding of envy. We discuss the roots of this differentiation, the theoretical and methodological challenges it involves, and its negative ramifications for envy research. We provide theory and findings showing that envy, conceptualized and measured as a unitary construct, can lead to a wide range of reactions, both socially desirable and undesirable, depending on personal and situational moderators. Therefore, we believe the distinction between “benign” and “malicious” envy is unwarranted and advocate for the use of envy as a unitary construct.