Envy/Jealousy Tendency
Envy can fuel resentment when someone else has something we want. The passage proposes competition for scarce resources as an evolutionary explanation and argues, from the author’s reading, that psychology textbooks give envy too little attention.
THE IDEA
ENVY/ JEALOUS TENDENCY
Envy is the most stupid of vices, for there is no single advantage to be gained from it. —Honoré De Balzac
A member of a species designed through evolutionary process to want often-scarce food is going to be driven strongly toward getting food when it first sees food. And this is going to occur often and tend to create some conflict when the food is seen in the possession of another member of the same species. This is probably the evolutionary origin of the Envy/Jealousy Tendency that lies so deep in human nature. Sibling jealousy is clearly very strong and usually greater in children than adults. It is often stronger than jealousy directed at strangers. Kantian Fairness Tendency probably contributes to this result.
Envy/jealousy is extreme in myth, religion, and literature wherein, in account after account, it triggers hatred and injury. It was regarded as so pernicious by the Jews of the civilization that preceded Christ that it was forbidden, by phrase after phrase, in the laws of Moses. You were even warned by the Prophet not to covet your neighbor’s donkey.
And envy/jealousy is also extreme in modern life. For instance, university communities often go bananas when some university employee in money management, or some professor in surgery, gets annual compensation in multiples of the standard professorial salary. And in modern investment banks, law firms, etc., the envy/jealousy effects are usually more extreme than they are in university faculties. Many big law firms, fearing disorder from envy/jealousy, have long treated all senior partners alike in compensation, no matter how different their contributions to firm welfare. As I have shared the observation of life with Warren Buffett over decades, I have heard him wisely say on several occasions: “It is not greed that drives the world, but envy.”
And, because this is roughly right, one would expect a vast coverage of envy/jealousy in psychology textbooks. But no such vast coverage existed when I read my three textbooks. Indeed, the very words “envy” and “jealousy” were often absent from the index.
Nondiscussion of envy/jealousy is not a phenomenon confined to psychology texts. When did any of you last engage in any large group discussion of some issue wherein adult envy/jealousy was identified as the cause of someone’s argument? There seems to be a general taboo against any such claim. If so, what accounts for the taboo?
My guess is that people widely and generally sense that labeling some position as driven by envy/jealousy will be regarded as extremely insulting to the position taker, possibly more so when the diagnosis is correct than when it is wrong. And if calling a position “envy-driven” is perceived as the equivalent of describing its holder as a childish mental basket case, then it is quite understandable how a general taboo has arisen.
But should this general taboo extend to psychology texts when it creates such a large gap in the correct, psychological explanation of what is widespread and important? My answer is no.
When to use it
In team management, ensuring transparent and equitable compensation to avoid envy-driven conflicts.
In marketing, leveraging social comparison to create desire for products (e.g., limited editions, status symbols).
In personal relationships, recognizing jealousy as a natural tendency to address it constructively and avoid destructive behavior.
In organizational design, review whether differences in pay are fair and how the criteria are explained to employees.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Sibling Rivalry
Sibling jealousy is often stronger than jealousy towards strangers, driven by direct competition for limited parental resources and attention from an early age.
Compensation Inequality in Universities
University communities often react strongly when some employees, like money managers or surgery professors, receive compensation many times the standard professorial salary, triggering envy among peers.
Law Firm Compensation Practices
Many large law firms, to avoid envy-driven conflict, treat all senior partners equally in compensation regardless of individual contribution, prioritizing harmony over pure meritocracy.
Warren Buffett's Observation
Warren Buffett observed that 'It is not greed that drives the world, but envy,' highlighting envy as a more powerful and pervasive motivator than simple material desire.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Can you recall a time when your own envy or jealousy influenced a decision? What was the outcome?
In what situations do organizations try to mitigate envy among employees, and how effective are these measures?
Why might envy be considered a social taboo, and how does that affect our ability to discuss and address it?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Wisdom Theory 100 Mental Models (2020) (Wisdom Theory)