Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Envy or Jealousy

"Jealousy exposes fear of loss; envy hinges on feeling inferior."

So what do  these wise words connote? I guess, they just showcase that this is really a big case among us all frail human beings....that we are prone to that seemingly inevitable error of envy and/or jealousy.

I am a yogi and an aspiring theologian, yes, but these do not guarantee that I am exempted from feeling this mischief. I refuse to call it a sin in the real sense of the word. History tells us that we are all unfortunate enough to be handed down this envy /jealousy thing.

It is disturbing , moreso, it is  destructive both inwardly and outwardly. The world crumbles because of this. Jealousy jeopardizes relationship.It shatters man's belief in the good and it predisposes misalignment of the universe's plan for each one.

No one can cure this but us alone. I guess it needs practice to do that.



Here is something relevant for all of us. May we continue to keep going and make our hearts and mind pure and think only of the good. We are all blessed and there is no reason for us to harbor jealousy/envy.


 Envy vs. Jealousy 


Long lumped together by ordinary folks and scholars alike, envy and jealousy are not a single, formless "super emotion." On the contrary, they are distinct, with different components, and are in fact elicited by completely different situations and in completely different settings.

According to Georgetown University psychologist W. Gerrod Parrott, Ph.D., envy occurs when a person lacks another person's superior quality, achievement, or possession, and desires it—or wishes that the other person lacked it.

Jealousy, by contrast, occurs in the context of a close relationship when a person fears losing an important other to a rival—in particular, losing a relationship that is important to one's sense of self.
For all their distinctiveness, envy and jealousy sometimes occur together, Parrott reports in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 64, No. 4). For instance, when a romantic partner gives attention to an attractive rival, a person may feel both jealous of that attention and envious of the rival for being so attractive. And since jealousy involves the loss of a personal relationship, it's usually more intense than envy.

 Here's how envy and jealousy stack up:

ENVY
o Feelings of inferiority
o Longing
o Resentment of circumstances
o Ill will towards envied person often accompanied by guilt about these feelings
o Motivation to improve
o Desire to possess the attractive rival's qualities
o Disapproval of feelings

JEALOUSY
o Fear of loss
o Suspicion or anger about betrayal
o Low self-esteem and sadness over loss
o Uncertainty and loneliness
o Fear of losing an important person to an attractive other
o Distrust


From A Devastating Difference By Hara Estroff Marano, published on January 01, 1994 - last reviewed on July 16, 2009@http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199401/devastating-difference

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