ABSTRACT
Desire is presented in an ambiguous way–it is not clear whether it is a longing for what is provided by the object in a relationship, out of which may comes for development and growth; what psychoanalysts may think of as a loving intercourse. This chapter describes the way in which the more grudging, malevolent feelings, the discontent for not being in possession of the good thing, may lead to destruction, even eradication of the good, such that it is not even seen. It argues that envy is interwoven with deprivation and loss and, further, interweaves with jealousy, and guilt, and creates or perpetuates, infinite vicious circles. The chapter illustrates the intertwining of many different factors. Melanie Klein said that greed, envy, and persecutory anxiety compound a vicious circle. In stressing the spoiling quality of envy, Klein differentiated it from jealousy.
