What Does It Mean When You Have An Entitlement Personality?
What Is Entitlement Personality?
Having an entitled personality means you often feel you deserve special treatment and privileges without earning them. It involves putting your own needs first, expecting others to cater to you, and reacting negatively when things don't go your way.
Signs Of An Entitlement Personality
- Feeling more important than others.
- Believing you're always right and first.
- Using others for your gain.
- Wanting things you haven't worked for.
- Demanding attention and special favors.
- Getting angry easily if not given what you want.
- Struggling to understand others' feelings.
Causes Of An Entitlement Personality
- Being spoilt by parents
- Traumatic events
- Genetics
- They could have narcissistic personality disorder
Effects Of An Entitlement Personality
- Content psychological distress
- It can cause relationship problems
- Trouble maintaining healthy relationships
- Difficulty at work
- Financial problems
Overcome An Entitlement Personality
- Put yourself in someone else's shoes
- Not everyone's going to agree with you
- Become more flexible and open-minded
Envision this scenario: You're at work, facing challenges. Your boss assigns you a project you feel is below your capabilities. Reacting with an entitlement personality, you do the minimum and submit substandard work.
When your boss reacts with a verbal warning, you, instead of owning up, respond with fury and argue. This entitlement personality often leads to complex situations both professionally and personally. Online Therapy can be a resource to better manage this behavior and improve relationships.
But what defines an entitlement personality, and how can it be addressed?
What is an entitlement personality?
An entitled person believes they are entitled to certain privileges or special treatment.[1]
Entitled people are looked at in both positive and negative ways. For example, if you're entitled, you might constantly argue with your boss over small things or expect your partner to always be available to you, regardless of their own needs.
An entitlement mentality may also is seen as demanding and expecting too much from others. This mentality can often lead to conflict and frustration in the workplace, as entitlements are not always realistic or possible. [2]
If you think you might be entitled, you must be aware of your attitudes and behaviors. By being more mindful, you can help avoid potential conflict, and to help you solve any miscommunications.
Signs that someone has a entitlement personality
A sense of entitlement can also make someone demanding and ungrateful, always expecting more than they have. While healthy self-esteem is essential, a sense of entitlement is detrimental to the individual and those around them.
Here are some indications to look for if you believe someone you know or if you have a sense of entitlement[3];
- an unrealistic sense of self-importance
- you think you're better than others and that the world revolves around you
- you take advantage of other people often
- you feel entitled to things that you haven't earned
- you expect others to part with their own needs last
- you're demanding and ungrateful
- you're often disappointed because your expectations aren't met
- you blame others for your failures
- a sense of superiority over others
- a strong need for attention and validation
- feeling like you are owed something
- always expect special treatment
- When you don't get your way, you're quick to anger
- it isn't easy to empathize with others
What causes an unhealthy sense of entitlement?
There are several possible causes for having an entitlement mentality. It could be the result of growing up in a household where parents catered to the child's every whim, or it could be due to a traumatic event that made the individual feel like they were owed something.
It could also be a combination of nature and nurture, with some people being born with a more entitled personality than others.
Being spoilt by parents
One possible cause of having a sense of self-entitlement is growing up in a household where parents catered to the child's every whim. [4]
In this environment, the child may never learn to deal with disappointment or frustration, and they may always expect to get what they want. As a result, they may develop a sense of entitlement that can be difficult to shake.
Traumatic events
Another possible cause of self-entitlement is a traumatic event that made the individual feel like they were owed something.
It might be something as awful as a severe illness, emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse or the death of a parent. In these cases, the individual may feel they have suffered enough and deserve special treatment. [5]
Genetics
Entitled people have inherited characteristics that make them self-entitled. But from where does a sense of entitlement come?
According to Mayo Clinic, it may be genetic.[6] Some people are born with a predisposition for entitlement, thanks to their genes. If someone comes from a long line of entitled individuals, they are more likely to develop similar characteristics.
They could have narcissistic personality disorder
Someone who is excessively self-centered and has a strong sense of entitlement could suffer from a narcissistic personality disorder. This disorder is a severe mental illness that requires professional help. [7]
People with this disorder often have an inflated sense of self-importance and believe they are better than others. They also expect special treatment and usually take advantage of others.[8] If you think you may have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, it's essential to seek help from a mental health professional.
The effects of having an entitlement personality
You might not even realize it, but it can significantly impact your life if you're self-entitled. Here are some of the ways your entitled behavior can affect you:
Content psychological distress
It can lead to psychological distress if you're always worried about whether or not you're getting what you deserve.
Psychological distress can manifest in different ways, such as anxiety, depression, and even physical symptoms like headaches and stomachaches. You might even become chronically disappointed because you constantly have unmet expectations.[9]
It can cause relationship problems
If you're always demanding things from others and don't understand why they can't just give you what you want, it will cause problems in your personal and professional relationships. [10]
People will start getting fed up with your entitled attitude with family, friends, or a romantic partner.
It can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms
When people don't get what they feel entitled to, it can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. This could include turning to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain or engaging in self-destructive behaviors. [11]
If you're always expecting special treatment and you're not getting it, it might be time to take a step back and reassess your expectations. Remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and just because you want something doesn't mean you're going to get it.
Accepting that fact can help you avoid a lot of unnecessary stress in your life.
Trouble maintaining healthy relationships
You might have trouble maintaining healthy relationships. It can be tough to sustain a relationship if you're always entitled to the best and expect others to give you what you want. [12]
Your self-entitlement will likely appear demanding and ungrateful, which can wear down even the most patient.
Difficulty at work
You might have trouble at work.[13]
Again, if you're self-entitled, you might believe that the world owes you or always feel like you deserve the best. Your attitude can make finding and keeping a job hard, as employers will likely see you as entitled and challenging to work with.
Financial problems
You might have financial problems. If you're always chasing after luxury items or trying to keep up with the Joneses, you might find yourself in debt or struggling to make ends meet. [14]
While being self-entitled can be seen as unfavorable, there are also some positives. For example, entitlement personalities often have high self-esteem and are confident in their abilities. They're also usually go-getters who are constantly striving for more.
Ways to overcome a sense of entitlement
If you feel entitled, you may feel you are owed certain things or deserve special treatment.
This can make it difficult to empathize with others and to see things from their perspective. However, there are ways that you can overcome a sense of entitlement and become a more empathic person. [15]
Put yourself in someone else's shoes
One way to overcome a sense of entitlement is to try to put yourself in other people's shoes. This can be done by listening to their stories and trying to understand their experiences.
Another way to become more empathic is to be mindful of your privilege. Knowing how you have benefited from privilege can make you more humble and appreciate your things.
Not everyone's going to agree with you
It is also important to remember that everyone has different experiences and will not agree with you.
You can't expect everyone to see things from your perspective, but you can try understanding where they are coming from. Affective Communication: Exploring The Link Between Language and Emotion, should help to learn to be more understanding of others.
Become more flexible and open-minded
The sense of entitlement is often accompanied by a lack of flexibility and an unwillingness to compromise. As a result, entitlement can significantly impede success in life.
It is essential to become more flexible and open-minded. One of the main reasons that people feel entitled is because they are inflexible and unwilling to consider other points of view.
Conclusion
The entitled person has a personality type characterized by a sense of entitlement. People with this personality type often feel they deserve special treatment or privileges.
While entitlement can be both positive and negative, it is often seen as a negative trait. It's because entitled people often lack flexibility and are unwilling to compromise.
If you always have a sense of self-entitlement, try to be more flexible in your thinking and be willing to see other points of view.
Answers And Questions
What are the consequences of having an entitlement personality?
Well, entitlement can have a lot of consequences because it's basically putting yourself above others and expecting things to just be handed to you. It can make you appear arrogant and ungrateful, which obviously aren't very attractive qualities. People might not want to be around you or work with you because of it.
Can entitlement personalities be fixed?
Yes, entitlement personalities can be fixed. However, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of both the person with the entitlement personality and those close to them. The first step is to identify the problem and make a commitment to change.
Then, the person with the entitlement personality needs to start by taking inventory of their own behavior. They need to be honest about how they act and what they expect from others.
What are some examples of an entitlement personality?
Some examples of an entitlement personality are people who always expect to be treated special, people who feel they deserve something just because they exist, people who think they're better than others, and people who constantly demand more and more without ever being grateful for what they have.
People with an entitlement personality often feel that the rules don't apply to them, and this can lead to a lot of conflict and frustration in their relationships. They can be very demanding and difficult to please, and may even become angry or hostile if they don't get what they want.
References
- Pubmed: A Status-Seeking Account of Psychological Entitlement
- University of Windsor; Psychological and Academic Entitlement
- psychological entitlement; interpersonal consequences and validation of a self-report measure
- University of Windsor; Psychological and Academic Entitlement
- Frontiers; "The Role of Relational Entitlement"
- Mayo Clinic: Narcissistic personality disorder
- Pubmed; Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Pubmed; Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- University of Windsor; Psychological and Academic Entitlement
- Frontiers; The Role of Relational Entitlement
- Cumberland Heights; How unhealthy coping mechanisms develop
- Frontiers; The Role of Relational Entitlement
- Sage Journals; A review of entitlement
- Mayo Clinic; Narcissistic personality disorder
- Psychology Today; Keys to Dealing with Entitlement Issues
⚠️Disclaimer: The information provided on this health blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.