I Deserve What You Have: The Relationship Between Pattern of Envy and Achievement Motivation in Egypt: The Moderating Effect of Self-Esteem

Nayera Mohamed Shousha

doi:10.11648/j.ajap.20200906.11

Abstract

Envy is a common and complex emotion and a concept with religious specificity; however, investigating envy and its real-life outcomes is limited in Egypt. To this end, the current study examined the relationship between patterns of envy (benign and malicious) and achievement motivation. Moreover, the study examined the moderating effect of self-esteem in that relationship. A convenience sample of 248 Egyptian participants (45 men and 203 women), Mean participant age was 32.15 years (standard deviation = 9.75), with an age range of 15–70 years. Participants responded to three questionnaires assessing the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS), The Achievement Motivation Measure (AMM) and the Rosenberg's scale for self-esteem. Results indicated that a significant positive relationship exists between benign envy and achievement motivation and with its components (Achievement thoughts and behaviors). However, no significant relationship was observed between malicious envy and achievement motivation. A significant interaction effect was observed between malicious envy and self-esteem on achievement motivation. The findings of this study will contribute to distinguishing between two patterns of envy and their outcomes through assistance in real life by improvement one's personal beliefs to reduce the negative feelings result of envy. These findings were discussed in the light of the extant theoretical and empirical literature. Furthermore, limitation and conclusion are also stated.

Highlights

Envy is a type of negative interpersonal relation [9] associated with hostility toward others [29]
No significant relationship was observed between malicious envy and achievement motivation, either overall or with its components
Envy is a concept with religious specificity, and Egypt is a society with a religious orientation

Summary

Introduction

Envy is a type of negative interpersonal relation [9] associated with hostility toward others [29]. It can be a predictor of mental health concerns, such as stress and anxiety [10]. According to Webster’s Online Dictionary, “envy” is derived from the Latin term invidere, which means to “look at another with malice.”. From this standpoint, envy can lead to negative attitudes and behaviors toward those who “cause” one to feel envy [27, 29]. Envy can be defined as undesirable feeling, arising from the process of comparing oneself to someone who has advantages and power, leading to the desire to have as much or more than what is possessed by the target of one’s envy [16, 26]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion