There should be a word in English with the same meaning as schadenfreude. Taking pleasure in someone else's troubles is a common, natural, but still deeply troubling trait.
I used to have a strong case of it. I cared as much about my relative standing as my absolute position. Life was a race and if someone else stumbled I felt I was better off.
The field of trading is particularly susceptible to the trait. Markets are viewed as zero-sum. Performance is inherently relative. Still, it's possible to be ultra-competitive, to get joy out of your own success, and not get enjoyment out of other's pain. It took me a while to learn that.
The same instinct plays out far beyond markets. I think schadenfreude is at the root of much of today's political dysfunction. Too many people are more upset by someone else's success than they are happy about their own. Since there will always be someone more successful, living that way is a recipe for discontent. That gets reflected in the voter booth.
I eventually grew out of the emotion. Maybe self-awareness of my personal faults helped me overcome it. Maybe I just had enough professional success to where my confidence rose enough. I like to think it was the former.
Either way, I'm happier that I overcome it. When someone stumbles, I'm just bad for them. Spending emotional energy celebrating others' losses is a lousy way to live.