The Berenstain Bears and The Green-Eyed Monster:As Stan and Jan rhymed: “When another bear gets something brand new, The Green-eyed Monster makes you want one, too.” Aristotle nailed it when he said the “pain caused by the good fortune of others”. In the clinical setting envy emerges under many guises. If a partner is increasingly successful in his/her career while the mate is status quo, whether it be the traditional configuration of the stay at home mom and the ever advancing dad, or the popularity of the mom in the community, while dad is relegated to “the husband of” envy can strike anywhere. Though there be no evident competition nor prize to be had, the envying member of The Coupledom feels less then, diminished by the achievements of their mate. For envy does not follow rules of logic; envy flows from cracks in the self-image, self-esteem, and the very personal history of the envying.
