Psychological Entitlement: Interpersonal Consequences and Validation of a Self-Report Measure

Abstract

Nine studies were conducted with the goal of developing a self-report measure of psychological entitlement and assessing its interpersonal consequences. The Psychological Entitlement Scale (PES) was found to be reliable and valid (Study 1, 2), not associated with social desirability (Study 2), stable across time (Study 3), and correlated negatively with two of the Big Five factors: agreeableness and emotional stability (Study 4). The validity of the PES was confirmed in studies that assessed willingness to take candy designated for children (Study 5) and reported deservingness of pay in a hypothetical employment setting (Study 6). Finally, the PES was linked to important interpersonal consequences including competitive choices in a commons dilemma (Study 7), selfish approaches to romantic relationships (Study 8), and aggression following ego threat (Study 9). Psychological entitlement has a pervasive and largely unconstructive impact on social behavior.

B2B Channel Partner Programs: Disentangling Indebtedness from Gratitude

“…Most empirical research on entitlement stems from narcissism literature in social psychology (Campbell et al 2004). Entitled people typically expect a reward in accordance with a social contract, rather than directly in exchange for their own efforts or character (Campbell et al 2004).…”

“…Entitled people typically expect a reward in accordance with a social contract, rather than directly in exchange for their own efforts or character (Campbell et al 2004). Campbell et al (2004) also show that entitlement is stable across time, and it occurs across cultures (Butori 2010), so it seems particularly relevant for international channel partner programs.…”

“…Entitlement, or the expectation of receiving something, is not necessarily based on equitable exchanges (Campbell et al 2004;Singer 1981;Xia et al 2010). More entitled people are less likely to give and more likely to accept gifts (Harvey and Martinko 2009).…”

“…Another potentially important characteristic of heterogeneous partners pertains to the extent to which they exhibit a pervasive sense of being entitled to more than others and expect suppliers to offer consistent benefits (Campbell et al 2004;Wetzel et al 2013). Feelings of entitlement and inflated expectations likely influence partners' responses to supplier programs, such as by causing them to feel less appreciative, which reduces the program's benefits for the supplier.…”

Employee Maintenance: Examining Employment Relationships from the Perspective of Managerial Leaders

“…Indeed, in a renewable resource simulation involving timber harvesting, individuals high in narcissism tended to focus on goals designed to increase their individual rewards, but these benefits came at the expense of others (i.e., team performance) and the common good (i.e., destruction of more resources than the forest system could support; Campbell, Bush, Brunell, & Shelton, 2005). What is more, a narcissistic sense of entitlement leads individuals to believe that they are actually deserving of additional resources, including a higher salary (Campbell, Bonacci, Shelton, Exline, & Bushman, 2004). When excessive resource demands are left unmet, individuals high in narcissism may be more likely to perceive psychological contract breaches with their employers (Campbell et al, 2011;Robinson & Rousseau, 1994).…”