Chinese Malicious and Benign Maternal Envy in Relation With Overbearing Parenting Practices

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Children’s achievements factor significantly into Chinese mothers’ self-worth and related parenting practices (Ng et al., 2014). Mothers often utilize social comparison to calibrate evaluations of themselves and their children, and excessive social comparisons predict mothers’ mental health problems and intensive parenting ideologies (Chae, 2015). Envy is a negative emotion often arising from upward social comparison (Lange & Crusius, 2015). Envy might manifest in mothers’ childrearing experiences and negatively influence interactions with children. However, envy can be maladaptive and malicious, or relatively more adaptive and benign (e.g., Van de Ven et al., 2009). Malicious envy includes hostility, avoidance goals, and desires to diminish the other’s standing; benign envy includes positive attitudes toward the other, approach goals, and self-improvement motivations (Lange & Crusius, 2015). However, prior research has not investigated this dual envy theory in childrearing contexts, or whether benign and/or malicious envy predict overbearing parenting practices. More evidence regarding the dual envy conceptualization is also needed in Eastern societies (e.g., China) considering their unique cultural features (e.g., strong emphasis on outward appearance).
Our research examined distinctions between malicious and benign envy among Chinese mothers, their differences from related emotions (i.e., resentment and admiration) in the childrearing context, and their relationships with overbearing parenting. Study 1 included 152 Mainland Chinese mothers (Mage=46.91, SD=2.26), who recalled experiencing malicious and benign envy, admiration, and resentment toward other parents. We examined distinctions between emotions in terms of cognitive appraisals, associated motivations, and action tendencies. Study 2 surveyed 244 Mainland Chinese mothers (Mage=44.23, SD=2.40) and examined whether malicious and benign envy predicted two overbearing parenting constructs, helicopter parenting and psychological control, and whether performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals mediated these associations.
Study 1 suggested that malicious and benign maternal envy are distinct emotions. Content coding of recalled experiences showed that malicious envy included lower perceived control and higher perceived unfairness than benign envy. Malicious envy included desires to degrade the other, while benevolent feelings toward the envied target characterized benign envy (Table 1). Both malicious and benign maternal envy were linked to desire for self-improvement. Study 2 showed that malicious envy positively predicted both performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, while benign envy only positively predicted performance-approach goals. Performance goals mediated associations between the two envy types and overbearing parenting practices (Figure 1). Benign envy predicted helicopter parenting via performance-approach goals. Malicious envy predicted both helicopter parenting and psychological control via performance-avoidance goals.
This research provides insights into how and why Chinese mothers experience different forms of envy, and how these emotions predict their parenting practices. Chinese mothers aim to improve themselves in childrearing when experiencing failure in upward comparisons, particularly by making sure they and their offspring can “measure up” in future comparisons. However, these performance-focused goals might manifest either as helping their child to out-compete their peers, or as avoiding potential risks or failures in front of others, and this distinction has implications for their use of overbearing practices in childrearing. This research might be beneficial for future investigations of maternal envy effects upon youth’s adaptive functioning.

Authors

• Wenqing Zong, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
  Presenting Author

• Skyler T. Hawk, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
  Non-Presenting Author