While envy at a conscious level can lead to aspiration and achievement, it is widely agreed that unconscious envy is expressed in destructive impulses towards the other. Perhaps because of this intersubjective tension it can be one of the most intractable and elusive processes to work with psychotherapeutically and, if unidentified, envy may impair therapeutic progress.

Freud offered us the concept of penis envy as part of his theory of gender-identity and ego construction; Melanie Klein, in her re-working of Freud's death instinct, proposed that envy is an innate defensive structure that protects the infant against psychic annihilation in the face of unbearable reality. These theories will be examined. We shall also be considering how envy is conceptualised by contemporary theorists of psychotherapy and how current applications of the concept are influencing clinical technique today.

Our speakers will explore the extent to which the apparent exploitation of envy in western societies is intensifying, and if psychotherapeutic work with this psychological structure is thus an increasingly complex challenge. We will reflect on how to work effectively with its many manifestations: the patient who relishes the suffering of others; the client whose glass is always half-empty; the person who evokes envy in others; the patient whose apparent envy is actually an expression of damaged attachment bonds; the meanings of the relational dynamic when envy arises between therapist and patient.

Participants in the series will be able to participate in an expansive discussion, ultimately considering the big question: Is envy always the antithesis to gratitude or does it have other complementary poles such as hope, creativity and satisfaction?