Abstract
Recent theorizing and research have proposed two subtypes of envy, namely benign envy, and malicious envy. However, many of the existing measures have mainly focused on the malicious dimension of envy. The Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS) appears to be an appealing measure to fulfill this research need. The current study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of BeMaS in terms of its factorial validity, construct validity, and reliability. The current study recruited two samples of university students for this purpose (N1 = 500; N2 = 356). As hypothesized, exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 yielded a two-factor structure of BeMaS (47% variance explained), which is further supported with confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (TLI = .919, CFI = .940, RMSEA = .078, χ2/df = 4.039). Both subtypes of envy significantly correlated with other psychological (depression, anxiety, and stress) and behavioral problems (conspicuous consumption orientation), evidencing the construct validity of BeMaS. Benign envy scale and malicious envy scale demonstrated good internal consistency in both samples. In conclusion, the psychometric assessments provided strong evidence for BeMaS as a valid and reliable measure of envy.
Highlights
Recent theorizing and research have proposed two subtypes of envy, namely benign envy and malicious envy
While it is easy to counter the former criticism with the various recent studies that found significant different role of both envies (Lange et al, 2016; Van de Ven, 2017; Xiang et al, 2018), the latter criticism raises a need for a psychometrically validated measure which can simultaneously examine both subtypes of envy
The main purpose of the current study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS), a measure which distinguishes between benign and malicious envy, in two samples of university students
Summary
Recent theorizing and research have proposed two subtypes of envy, namely benign envy and malicious envy. The psychometric assessments provided strong evidence for BeMaS as a valid and reliable measure of envy Benign envy is expected to motivate the enviers to improve themselves to achieve their desired level This distinction between the two subtypes of envy is based on the functional perspective of emotion (Van de Ven, 2016). It is plausible that individuals experience envy when they found someone of superiority, leading to a desire to reduce the envier-envied gap To achieve this goal, the enviers can either improve their position to reach the same or better level; or to pull down the envied to lower level. While it is easy to counter the former criticism with the various recent studies that found significant different role of both envies (Lange et al, 2016; Van de Ven, 2017; Xiang et al, 2018), the latter criticism raises a need for a psychometrically validated measure which can simultaneously examine both subtypes of envy
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