Cathexis, Envy, and Jealousy

In everyday usage, the terms "envy" and "jealousy" frequently stand in for one another. Psychoanalysis makes a clear distinction. Envy refers to a two-sided situation: Someone wants something that belongs to someone else, possibly a stranger. Jealousy, by contrast, is three-sided: A relationship appears to be endangered by a third person. Alongside the number of persons involved in envy or jealousy, the claims to "possession" also differ in their significance. The author discusses the question of the cathexis preceding possession. In his view, cathexis can mean both amicable capacitation and "hostile takeover. "The author goes on to discuss the difference in cathexis between envy and jealousy. He illustrates his theoretical considerations with a clinical case vignette from the analysis of an adolescent/young adult.