Embracing Envy

Finding the Spiritual Treasure in Our Most Shameful Emotion

Envy is a universal emotion, yet people are very reluctant to confess their envy of another. In Embracing Envy, Josh Gressel suggests it is our shame at admitting we feel inferior to another person that keeps envy so hidden. Through interviews with everyday people, reviews of mainstream psychological research, and lessons from wisdom literature, this book delves into how envy can be seen as meaningful and useful in our daily lives.

Author: Josh Gressel

Excerpts:


REVIEWS

One of the best books that I have ever read on any emotion..

“This is one of the best books that I have ever read on any emotion, but envy especially. . . . Gressel covers a remarkable range of scholarly work on envy, from religious treatments, tough psychoanalytic ideas, to contemporary experimental work in social psychology. He weaves his consistently innovative analysis of these perspectives with well-chosen interviews with people who speak frankly about their experiences with envy. These interviews, as well as candid accounts of his own struggles with envy, help keep Gressel’s analysis grounded in the everyday world.”

Richard Smith, author of The Joy of Pain: Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature, Professor of Psychology, University of Kentucky

A worthwhile read..

"When I read the title and subtitle of Josh Gressel's book: Embracing Envy: Finding the Spiritual Treasure in Our Most Shameful Emotion, I found myself immediately intrigued. I noticed, upon self-reflection, that envy had crept into my world - more than what I consider to be 'usual', and definitely enough to leave me uncomfortable. The notion of a Spiritual Treasure was surely appealing! Delving into the book, I was more emotionally impacted than I'd have anticipated. It was as if something that had been tightly gripped inside of me cracked open and let air enter. The adventure on which this book takes the reader was for me a delight of insight and information. I found myself moving back and forth from experience to information and back to experience. I very much appreciated and enjoyed the author's candid self-disclosure which made it easier for me to recognize myself from both the inside (feeling envious) and the outside (fearing or desiring the envy of others)."

Marcia Ferstenfeld

Ecumenical religious education..

"This is the book that I wish I had had when I taught our bene mitzvah. Students in our B'nai Sholom Religious School in Rural-Appalachia that presents classical and contemporary wisdom including a Kibbutz {2} in Eretz Yisrael {3} when I wrote and presented my own Jewish Jeopardy Instructional Game that was reasonably well received by my/our students and continues to be used by our Religious School Instructors and has been sought by my/our former Religious School students when they have reached adulthood. All of our Judaica Shops of our Synagogues (Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed and Reconstructionist), our Jewish Community Centers, and our University Hillel Houses (Centers for Jewish Life on Campus) should have multiple copies. All City, County and University Libraries should have a copy. Candidates for their degree Master of Hebrew Letters should be given a copy to discuss with their Mentors. I plan to share this outstanding book with all of my Ecumenical (Two Catholic, Three Jewish) Grandchildren!"
References:
1. Blind Poet, Author of Paradise Lost.
2. Collective Community
3. The Jewish State of Israel

Mickey Grossman

His clear and amazingly intuitive discussion helps one better understand the powerful energy that disrupts the status quo...

"In his book, “Embracing Envy Finding the Spiritual Treasure in Our Most Shameful Emotion, “Josh Gressel offers an interesting view on various aspects of the most difficult, intense, powerful, threatening, and mysterious emotion, Envy. In his humble, honest, and very courageous way, Josh Gressel explores our vulnerability in acknowledging one of the darkest secrets in our inner world. His clear and amazingly intuitive discussion helps one better understand the powerful energy that disrupts the status quo within us and calls us for action, allowing us a new experience of our inner and outer world. He provides a wonderful integration of psychological and spiritual insights on the topic of envy and explores how spiritual truths are reflected in everyday life. He explores possible reasons behind our unconscious attempt to hide envy from public eye and the use of various masks to cover it up. Josh gently points our attention to the reality of our individual learning experiences and insights that we derive from it. I felt instantly connected to this book, as it’s written in a humbling, informative, and generous way."

Yelena Razdolskaya

Gressel writes a very admirable treatment of the topic of envy showing great clarify of thinking and an easy to read prose...

"Dr. Gressel writes a very admirable treatment of the topic of envy showing great clarify of thinking and an easy to read prose style. He maintains a wonderful balance of research, interviews, and his own insights. He is mindful of the trickiness of balancing envy with issues of social justice, allowing for divergent political views to receive scrutiny and analysis. His treatment of relevant research allows the reader to get the big picture messages from various interesting studies without having to slog through a lot of extraneous detail. His spiritual message can be read in a universal way, rather than representing one religious viewpoint, while he still remains true to his Jewish heritage. He is frequently insightful, self-revealing and humbly invites the reader to explore for themselves the messages and growth opportunities envy might provide."

Karla A Sagramoso