RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVY, MOTIVATION, SELF-COMPASSION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG EMPLOYEES

Abstract

Workplace social comparison has become increasingly salient in modern organizational environments where professional achievements, rewards, and recognition are highly visible among peers. The present study examined the relationships between envy, motivation, self-compassion, and psychological distress among employed adults in Pakistan. A total of 300 employees (150 males, 150 females) were recruited from public and private sector organizations through purposive sampling. Four standardized self-report measures were administered, and data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical regression analysis. Mean scores for envy, motivation, self-compassion, and psychological distress were 32.36 ± 8.97, 85.21 ± 18.04, 38.39 ± 7.12, and 47.44 ± 13.35, respectively. Pearson's correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships among all four variables (r = .279 to .568, p < .01), with envy demonstrating a moderate positive association with psychological distress (r = .437). T-test results indicated that male employees reported significantly higher motivation than females (p = .041, d = 0.24), and corporate sector employees scored significantly higher on envy, motivation, self-compassion, and psychological distress than those in other sectors. One-way ANOVA findings revealed that younger employees reported the highest psychological distress, while education level and residential area significantly influenced motivation and self-compassion. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that demographic variables explained 12% of variance in psychological distress (R² = .12), envy added a further 13% (R² = .25; β = .393), and the inclusion of motivation and self-compassion raised total explained variance to 30% (R² = .30), with envy (β = .315) and self-compassion (β = .208) emerging as significant predictors, while motivation did not contribute independently. These findings highlight envy as a primary driver of psychological distress in Pakistani workplaces and underscore the need for psychologically safe and equitable organizational environments.