| Summary: | Envy and jealousy are complex emotions which differ from each other in important aspects; yet, in daily life, they are often used interchangeably. Envy occurs when a person does not have what another has and either wants it or hopes that the other did not have it. On the other hand, jealousy appears when a person either fears losing or already has lost an important relationship to a rival. Accordingly, envy involves a two-person situation whereas jealousy involves a three-person relationship. Melanie Klein argued that envy traces back to the first months of infancy and is inherent in the infant's love and hate relationship with the mother's breast. Jealousy appears later in the development and plays a role in the resolution of envy. Although envy and jealousy are emotions with functional benefits, they have a potential to disrupt a person's functioning and relationships; and may indeed become pathological. The present paper defines envy and jealousy, explore their similarities and differences, and dwell on how they may become dysfunctional and be a part of psychopathology.
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