The Resolution of Envy through Jealousy

Abstract

This article examines a range of issues surrounding siblings and, in particular, envy and jealousy in siblings and the ways in which envy can be resolved through jealousy.

A dramatic example of the resolution of envy through jealousy can be seen in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, where malignant and destructive envy and jealousy can be transformed into reconciliation. Such creative resolutions can be considered by looking at simple mathematical and algebraic formulations, where the introduction of a third into a twosome may precipitate rage but may also offer the opportunities for creative triangulation.

Twinship dynamics, the different genesis of jealousy in boys and in girls, births at times of bereavement and mapping of family trees, birth orders in different generations, the use of critical dates and transcultural sibling problems are further elements to consider that may help us in our practice.