Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-24
Green.Eyed Monster.

What do you think OF young, lnteutoSHi
Her scho lei lie is missTa6ie' TRY as I may
cannot. help being ertrsmelv 'saious o,
they are better than nay opn; nor their
mothers since hare none; nor their popu.
lcritv: notspithstondinD the fact ttst vo an
s SsH ffO S@ on 81 Z ana f Sass
Yet " am dis Srt Nth nv lie.
STRANGE to say; my closest trisTds Gre sT,
,ssIoa. oe &c Gea an nsS sSSr
to conceal mn enry that ! gaze. them the
Sss il ,.sy ana Be- hap ss aHs a.
as.s 4s,y tms SoT
1 Mhn et TIT It 1aks Se
a failure, and overcome this desire to hare
a little more OF everything that n.y. $3.50
ctdtes hare? T.T.
Reply.
This isn't much of a problem. and
what there is is so clearly personal that
there isn't much purpose in asking that
the searchlight Of psychology be thrown
upon it. A pocket fashlight will do.
Yet it is common enough, and that old
Latin saying, IT hold nothing that Is
human foreign to me-" may serve the
psychologist In his reply.
This kind of q diagnosis neatly illus
trates what the psychologist means In
distinguishing between a malady, in
this, as in many another case, better
called maladjustment. and symptom.
It also illustrates the difference between
the same difficulty considered as
moral. fault and as a psychological
trait. Both views are justified, and in
either view the trait or symptom rep
resents a deficit, something on the debit
and not the credit side of character or
wholesome moral attitude or mental
fitness or hygiene or adjustment.
The trouble is wrong attitude to-
ward self, common form of self-pity.
a fault in adjustment. It happens to
to this self-analysiS as envy; 1t might
appear otherwise.
You can't say, II suffer from jeal-
ouSy," as you might say: II suffer from
varicoSe veins. How can / cure it?"
Envy isn't disease; it's a symptom Of
a wrong or weak attitude. 1t may be
connected with general type of tenn
permanent. Similarly, unhappiness isn't
a malady and happiness its cure; but
given certain reaction to your condi-
ton. happiness results, and under an
other attitude unhappiness. The prob
lem of this reader, as the problem OF
every other, is to get into the right
relation to his or her fate. No one is
perfectly so: some have slight difficulty
in making the adjustment; others very
decided struggles.
If you ask for moral or reflective aids
to get into this right relation, it's easy
to suggest them. Think rather of what
you have than of what you haven't and
others have; think of what others
haven't that you have. And in all this
get a sense Of value, which here is
lacking. To envy others their clothes
and their mothers In the same strain
shows an immature sense of value.
A right social attitude makes for
friendships and cordially: those who
give receive; those who ask for re-
ceipt before they let their generous
emotions play may save pennies and
lose pounds. But reflection. though 1t
helps, isn't complete until the accept
ance is in your feelings, not in your
thoughts.
You'll stop being envious in mind
after you stop being envious in feelings.
Since we all have these problems,
there's not much use in any one cry
ing out, II have o case Of envy" and