8 Differences between jealousy and envy

Dreams, goals and desires are an essential part of our daily life. However, it is possible that when you see that someone first reaches a goal that you had, you do not know how to recognize if what you experience inside is jealousy or envy. Although many people tend to confuse these two terms, they are different concepts, since each one has its own characteristics. For example, jealousy is related to the fear of losing something, while envy has more to do with greed and ambition.

In this Psychology-Online article you will find the main difference between jealousy and envy so that you learn to quickly identify what you are feeling.

Index

1. what is jealousy
2. what is envy
3. What are the differences between jealousy and envy

Jealousy are feelings that are related to the worry, threat or fear of losing someone close to us, be it as a couple, friends or family. In the case of romantic relationships, it refers to a feeling of concern about the attention that the couple may be receiving from other people.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA)^[1], it is a negative emotion in which a person has a feeling that someone will take away the affection of a loved one. That is, in jealousy, there are usually more than two people involved. Discover the different types of jealousy in this article.

How jealousy manifests itself

Do you want to know how jealousy manifests itself? Jealousy usually manifests itself with the activation of a state of alert before a person that we suspect wants to take away someone we love. Usually when we feel jealous pulse quickens, breathing changes, the attitude becomes hostile and the body prepares itself for a possible attitude of unconscious defense.

One of the most common examples of jealousy is when a partner assumes that someone pays more attention than they should. Also, there are cases of jealousy between siblings in which there is competition for parental attention.

The envy It is a feeling that can be negative or positive and that is associated with the desire to own somethingthat someone else has. That is, the envious person wants to be in that individual's position to satisfy her personal desires.

There is talk of positive envy when, despite wanting what the other person got, you do not feel annoyance about it, but rather that feeling awakens the motivation to achieve your goals. goals. Now, if the feeling of envy is no longer a healthy feeling and is accompanied by annoyance, anger and frustration, it can cause a lot of discomfort, as well as a great internal imbalance.

How envy manifests itself

How to recognize a person who is envious of you? The envy It can cause a little sadness at first, since you will see your efforts minimized compared to the achievements of others. However, and according to the nature of the feeling, envy can become an engine that energizes your motivation to achieve a set goal. In any case, you can feel envy for tangible or intangible things.

An example of envy can be that in a university degree your friends finish graduating before you and you want to be in their position. In the same way, it is also possible to feel envy for a job promotion, for a material good and even for more personal situations such as having a partner or a family of your own.

What is the difference between jealousy and envy? Now that you know the definitions of jealousy and envy, let's see the main differences between the two feelings:

1. According to those involved: Jealousy is born when a third person gets involved in a relationship, be it personal, work or love, that is, three involved are needed. On the contrary, envy is a manifestation that does not involve third parties, but is in a personal capacity.
2. According to the manifestation: Another of the differences between jealousy and envy is that jealousy is negative feelings that end up unbalancing any type of relationship. For its part, envy can be negative or positive depending on the connotation given by the person who is experiencing it.
3. according to emotions: in jealousy the fear of losing someone's affection predominates. In envy, on the other hand, there is a feeling of anger or impotence for not possessing something in particular.
4. according to the consequences: Jealousy does not usually bring good consequences, since it is based on low self-esteem or mistrust, which is why people act negatively. For its part, envy can have both good and bad consequences, since, in some cases, it acts as a catalyst to reach the goals set.
5. according to certainty: Jealousy are feelings that arise, many times, without any certainty or apparent reason. This is another aspect that differentiates them from envy, which appears when there is a real object or position that the envious person needs in her life.
6. according to hostility: usually, jealousy cause hostility and external manifestations that are visible to others. However, envy can be more easily hidden within the person and only become visible if the individual decides to express it.
7. According to the field in which they appear: Although jealousy can appear in any area of ​​daily life, it usually manifests itself in relationships. Envy, on the other hand, can appear in the workplace, family, personal or in any other space of daily life.
8. according to imagination: jealousy arises from the imagination or suspicion of losing the affection of a loved one. For its part, with envy there is the certainty that someone has what you long for.

If you want to know more about this topic you can consult the article Jealousy in the couple: why it occurs and how to eliminate it.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Difference Between Jealousy and Envy, we recommend that you enter our category of Personal growth and self-help.

1. American Psychological Association (APA). definition of jealousy https://dictionary.apa.org/jealousy#:~:text=n.,affections%20of%20a%20loved%20one.

• Martinez, L. m. R. (2005). Jealousy and envy: human emotions. UNAM.
• Montanes, M. C., & Iniguez, C. g. (2002). Social emotions: infatuation, jealousy, envy and empathy.