BENIGN AND MALICIOUS ENVY SCALE: AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS FACTOR STRUCTURE AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES

Abstract

Recent theorizing and research have proposed two subtypes of envy, namely benign envy, and malicious envy. However, many of the existing measures have mainly focused on the malicious dimension of envy. The Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS) appears to be an appealing measure to fulfill this research need. The current study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of BeMaS in terms of its factorial validity, construct validity, and reliability. The current study recruited two samples of university students for this purpose (N₁ = 500; N₂ = 356). As hypothesized, exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 yielded a two-factor structure of BeMaS (47% variance explained), which is further supported with confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (TLI = .919, CFI = .940, RMSEA = .078, χ²/df = 4.039). Both subtypes of envy significantly correlated with other psychological (depression, anxiety, and stress) and behavioral problems (conspicuous consumption orientation), evidencing the construct validity of BeMaS. Benign envy scale and malicious envy scale demonstrated good internal consistency in both samples. In conclusion, the psychometric assessments provided strong evidence for BeMaS as a valid and reliable measure of envy.