Envy represents discomfort over someone else's achievement.
From the Latin invidĭa , envy is the desire to obtain something that another person has and that one lacks. It is, therefore, about regret, sadness or discomfort for the good of others . In this sense, envy constitutes resentment (the subject does not want to improve his position but rather wants the other to do worse).
Throughout history, envy has been very present in various cultures. A good example of this is Greek and also Roman culture, which even opted to make it very present in their various artistic works. Thus, they have come to represent it as an eel or as the head of an old woman full of snakes.
Envy can arise when there is a shortage of material objects or when such objects are very difficult to obtain. Therefore, those who possess them are envied by others. For example: "I have a luxury car and a mansion on the beach, I know that I am the envy of many people" , "It kills me with envy to know that Jorge was able to buy a new house and I still have to rent."
Envy according to Catholicism
Catholicism considers envy as one of the seven deadly sins , since it is the source of other sins. The envious person desires to have something at the cost of depriving another person of said possession.
Lust, gluttony, laziness, greed, pride and anger are the other capital sins that complete the list made by Pope Saint Gregory the Great during his pontificate between the 6th and 7th centuries .
This double condition of wanting something you don't have and trying to obtain it from what someone else has makes envy cause unhappiness and pain to the person who experiences the feeling. The envious person is not satisfied with obtaining something, but wants to cause harm to the person who has what he envies.
Envy implies the desire to get what another individual has.
The view of psychology
Psychology affirms that envy is a feeling that is denied both to third parties and to oneself. The envious person wants to hide their envy and it is rare for them to assume it, since it implies the acceptance of a lack.
In addition to all this, we find the fact that there are a series of adverbial phrases that make use of the aforementioned term at hand. This would be the case of "eating someone with envy" , which is used to express that a person is completely envious of something or someone.
Envy and the "evil eye"
It is interesting to note that the Greeks used the expression "evil eye" to define it. They considered it so powerful that they tried to protect their children from it and they did so by applying the mud they found at the bottom of the bathrooms to their foreheads.
This is a concern that is currently maintained in many other cultures, which means that to avoid that "evil eye" , the harm that someone may wish on another person out of envy, small amulets are used that They supposedly scare her away. This would be the case of a pendant that is a small black hand.