Coping with Envy and Jealousy

Abstract

Ninety-five undergraduates completed a questionnaire that assessed emotional reactions to jealousy-provoking situations in various relevant life domains. The amount of jealousy the subjects experienced in each domain was measured, as well as the frequency with which they used 15 coping strategies for dealing with jealousy. After a principal components analysis, three general coping mechanisms were identified: (1) self-reliance, (2) self-bolstering, and (3) selective ignoring. Subjects who coped with jealousy-provoking situations by using the self-reliance strategy experienced the least jealousy. Selective ignoring was also related to reduced jealousy, but not as strongly. Self-bolstering was not associated with lowered jealousy at all. Self-bolstering, however, tempered feelings of depression among subjects already experiencing jealousy. Both self-bolstering and self-reliance reduced anger among jealous subjects in the school/work domain. These results were discussed in terms of the stress and coping literature, and its relationship to understanding jealousy and affect produced by jealousy-provoking experiences.