Jealousy and Envy as Motivators of Individual and State Aggressions

• In Event: Biological, biosocial and psychological drivers of criminal behaviour

Abstract

The paper examines how jealousy and envy function as powerful motivators of aggression at both the individual and state levels. While often dismissed as personal emotions, jealousy and envy have significant social and political consequences, shaping interpersonal relationships, ideological conflicts, and state actions. Drawing on philosophical and psychoanalytic perspectives, including the works of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, this discussion will explore how these emotions drive possessiveness, rivalry, and destruction.

At the personal level, jealousy and envy can fuel resentment, competition, and even violent reactions, as seen in relationships, artistic rivalries, and social hierarchies. The paper will explore case studies, including the emotional turmoil following a romantic breakup, the destructive tensions between artists Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and how social envy during the COVID-19 pandemic incited public anger over perceived inequalities.

At the state level, authoritarian regimes often manipulate these emotions to consolidate power, suppress dissent, and justify aggressive policies. In post-Soviet Russia, for example, envy and resentment have been weaponized to maintain public compliance, fostering apathy rather than resistance. The distinction between "black envy," which leads to destructive aggression, and "white envy," which can inspire societal change, will be examined through historical examples, including the 2014 Ukrainian Maidan protests and Russia's aggressive response to Ukraine's democratic aspirations.

In conclusion, the paper will argue that jealousy and envy are not merely private emotions but deeply embedded social forces that influence aggression on both micro and macro levels. By understanding their role in shaping individual behaviors and state ideologies, we gain insight into how these emotions drive conflict, and, in some cases, social transformation.

Author

• Renata Salecl, Institute of Criminology at Faculty of Law, Ljubljana, Slovenia