Enviousness and its relationship to maladjustment and psychopathology

This article attempted to demonstrate the existence of a pattern of cognition which collectively comprised an envious personality trait. Four studies provided support for the present conceptualization of enviousness through the development and validation of the York Enviousness Scale (YES). In Study 1 evidence for high internal consistency of the YES was advanced. In addition, the scale appeared to be minimally contaminated by social desirability. Study 2 provided support for the measure's validity; correlations of the YES with validating measures of trait anger, hostility, inferiority, materialism, and jealousy were all significant and in the predicted directions. Study 3 established the temporal stability of the YES. Study 4 provided direct support for the present conceptualization of enviousness through the demonstration of the construct's association with psychopathology. Significant sex differences in enviousness were found, with men scoring higher than women on the YES. These sex differences are explained in light of some proposed functional aspects of enviousness.