Representation of Envy in Russian and Uzbek Cultures: "Zavist" and "Hasad"

For a long time, the phenomenon of envy was the subject of social science studies. Despite the fact that most of the research highlights the negative experiences of envy, at the moment there is no single approach to the understanding of this phenomenon. This paper presents the results of the study of representations of envy among members of the two cultures of Russia and Uzbekistan. The theoretical background of research was social construction approach and the theory of social representations. The study showed that the universal element of the representation of envy for members of Russian and Uzbek cultures is a negative attitude towards this phenomenon. Thus, the core zone of the representations of envy includes elements: "malice," "hatred." In addition, members of Russian and Uzbek cultures include in the representations of envy elements that emphasize the negativity of this phenomena and its perniciousness for the envious person ("bad", "poison" and “heaviness"). The specificity of the representations of envy is also revealed. “Zavist`” in Russian culture is regarded as a moral dimension ("vice", "sin"). In Uzbek culture “hasad” is seen in the relationship with objects that can cause it ("success", "money"). Also in the Uzbek culture, “hasad” is correlated with elements related to the characteristics of manifestations of social relations ("revenge", "slander"). Keywords: envy, emotion, “zavist`”, “hasad”, social construction approach, theory of social representations