Notes on Envy and the Contrasexual Archetype

Envy is a vast subject. Here I intend only to touch the fringe of it, and perhaps stimulate others to think about what are, in fact, common problems: common, that is, in psychiatric practice, as well as in analytic practice; common, too, in the creative arts, and, in my view, common in religious thought and activity. Envy is a subject which is oddly neglected, particularly in analytical psychology, and we must bow to Melanie Klein who, in her small but vital book (1957), has cast much light upon the subjects of envy and also gratitude, to which it is closely related (though this is an aspect of the problem I do not intend to discuss here). The word “envy” derives from the Latin invidere—literally “to look into”. According to Stein, the suffix “into” implies looking with great intensity. The intensity of the looking refers to greed and devouring; our everyday phrase “greedy looks” is certainly concerned with envy. Stein also holds that greedy looking, in this sense, from olden times carried a serious prohibition. As an example, the godhead must never be visible; hence the “burning bush” or the “rushing mighty wind”, to choose examples familiar to everyone. Envy is also one of the seven deadly sins, and it has long been recognized as a corrosive emotion, both to the person who suffers from it and to its object. It is thus guarded against in religious precept, and also in individuals, by the most elaborate defences.

I have used, in an earlier version of this paper, a number of terms that are familiar to psycho-analysts and analytical psychologists, but not, unfortunately, to others. Therefore I shall try to define their meaning where I can, or to paraphrase them. In some cases, however, I shall not attempt to define them at all, because it would take another paper to do so. One such is the concept of transference, which I shall assume to be familiar, both in its use and in its meaning. “Contrasexual archetype” is a cumbersome phrase, and for its definition I can only go