TENDENCY FOR ENVY IN STUDENTS

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TENDENCY FOR ENVY IN STUDENTS

Journal Title: Вісник Львівського університету. Серія психологічні науки - Year 2018, Vol 2, Issue

Abstract

The paper enlightens the problem of factors contributing to actualization of tendency for envy in young people. Based on the empirical research data, the following psychological factors were identified: low self-confidence, suspiciousness of other people, inability of decentralization and tolerance, low awareness of their own lives meaning, high level of masculinity, small resources of cultural capital. We also found that younger students are more likely to be envious, that may contribute to the age-related features of the youth, and to their need of fight for their own place in the new social group. Basing on these data, ways of further studying of the phenomenon of envy are outlined. Relatively high level of inclination to envy evokes in subjects the feeling of grudge, anger, irritation aimed at somebody who is more successful. It is expressed in such feelings as hatred, hostility, suspicion aimed at an object of envy. Such a person can be characterized by the desire to get the better of others by any means. However, frequently the wish to gain desirable but unachievable advantage is replaced with a desire to deprive another person of the object of envy, to do harm to this person (at least in one’s thoughts). The envious person is convinced that success and achievements of another person defeat him/her, devaluate his/her own achievements. In people with high level of inclination to envy one can observe slightly different spectre of emotions: grievance, vexation, sadness and despair. Such a person feels unconfident, offended, desperate and helpless to change something. The starting point for such experience is the feeling of “undeserved overwhelming deprivation”. The subject does, as he/she thinks, everything possible to achieve a desirable goal, putting all his/he efforts into it, but success (material welfare, recognition, etc.) does not come. And, as a result of alleged total injustice and feeling of frustration, there appears disdainful, devaluating attitude to those, who, in the opinion of the envious person, is less hard-working, industrious and active, but still have all the things the envious person does not have but is willing to have. Relatively low level of inclination to envy is characterized by the fact that a person shows a less expressed form of envy towards the object of envy. The desire to compete for success, to outdo others is still present, however, this individual does not tend to achieve his/her goals by any means and applies only those means which do not contradict his/her values. People with low level of envy usually tend to participate in healthy competition. Such people value their own achievements and mainly compare them not with the achievements of other people but with their own “previous” ones. In case of a failure they seldom experience grievance, sadness or despair. Such people do not experience a feeling of “being undeservingly deprived”.

Authors and Affiliations

Софія ГРАБОВСЬКА, Ольга КІТ

Keywords

EP ID EP569741
DOI -
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