A Streetcar Named Envy and Aggression

Abstract

Envy is a well-known unpleasant emotion that is often characterized by inferiority and resentment and appears when individuals compare themselves to others (Parrott, 1991). Jealousy occurs when individuals fear losing an important relationship whereas envy occurs when a materialistic item is desired (Parrott, 1991/1993). Envy’s operational definition in science has been linked to aggression but has provided little to no empirical evidence that envy and aggression are linked. To help better understand the nature of envy, this study aims to examine the link between envy and aggression amongst 108 females. An ANOVA demonstrated that females with the malicious envy prime reported higher levels of aggression than females with a neutral prime (and there were no other significant effects found).