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Why Do We Have A Sense of Entitlement?
As with all psychological problems, a sense of entitlement often develops due to experiences rooted in a person’s early trauma experiences. These traumas, whether from parental/caregiver attacks and poor modeling, and/or a lack of developmental support/structure and/or emotional neglect, evolve into the over-inflated sense of importance and overcompensation that can eventually evolve into entitlement.
The top four traumas are Transgenerational Trauma, Early "ACEs" Trauma, SICO Trauma, RED Trauma. See the Top 20 aspects of these
four traumas.
An Attempt To Overcompensate For Past/Present Trauma
One of the reasons believed to most often contribute to a sense of entitlement is negative experiences in childhood, such as being mistreated, being raised in an environment where a person felt they lacked something that others had, or experiencing contempt or being treated as lesser than their peers or family members.
At first, entitlement manifests as a way to cope with these feelings of resentment at being less well-off or treated as less talented or less appreciated than others. However, this coping mechanism can continue to worsen and end up developing into a sense of entitlement.
For instance, a child raised with few possessions may envy peers that are wealthier, have more toys and clothes, and as an adult, they feel that they deserve finer things because they weren’t afforded those as a child.
Raised To Expect To Get What They Want (Lacked Structure)
Most parents aim to raise happy, healthy, and confident children. Sometimes, however, parents with a mindset that always says “yes” to their children’s requests can end up doing their children a serious disservice.
This kind of situation means that children always get their way and will learn to expect their demands to be fulfilled in every situation. Over time, children who are never told “no” can end up developing a sense of entitlement that carries over into adulthood.
They expect everything to be done as they wish, and when they find that is not the case in adult situations, these people can end up being angry, resentful toward those that don’t give them what they want, and have a “poor me” attitude.
Narcissistic Tendencies & Narcissistic Personality Disorder
When coupled with an overwhelming need for admiration and attention, extreme entitlement cases can mean that a person has a narcissistic personality disorder ("NPD"). Narcissists believe that they are better than everyone around them and that everything should always be about them.
They often look down on others as inferior and they do not have to follow the rules in any situation. In contrast, they belittle the accomplishments of others. The signs of NPD are very similar to those of entitlement, in fact, one can say NPD is toxic entitlement
to the max.
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