If there’s one thing that pushes all my wrong buttons and probably yours as well, it’s seeing people with a huge sense of entitlement.
The other day I was on Facebook and people got into this argument (sort of) about getting benefits because you played a part in someone’s success, however unconsciously.
And I’m like...
‘You don’t give things for free and expect to claim a reward or be given something in return’
Worse yet, is when other people who are friends or relatives believe they have a right to a piece of the cake just because they know you.
Err… WRONG X
Born out of my little time on Facebook yesterday, I’ve created this post to give you a little heads-up on what to watch out for in people to know quickly if they have a sense of entitlemen.
Or generally, how to put together the signs you see to arrive at a general conclusion that someone has a sense of entitlement.
So what really is self entitlement?
Self-entitlement is when an individual perceives themselves as deserving of unearned privileges. These are the people who believe life or others owe them something; a reward, a measure of success, a particular standard of living.
5 signs you’ve got someone with a sense of entitlememt on your hands
They’re in love with the letter I
...and any variation of it.
‘ME, MY, MINE,’ and any other words that scream just one person.
People with a sense of entitlement often have an uncompromising attitude. They have little to no understanding of the needs of others and of other social happenings in the society. They expect everyone to be much more interested in their lifestyle than they are in others.
It’s very related to narcissism where self-importance is over-flogged and there’s fantasies of power, wealth and beauty. Anything that requires reaching an agreement that’s not based solely on their opinion is ‘forbidden’ because it’s not all about them.
You’re either someone to contend with, competition or just plain useless in the eyes of an entitled person.
For such people, It’s 'my way or the high way' kind of thing because self entitled people are often arrogant, forceful or stubborn. They don’t believe they should take responsibilities for their actions and want others to do everything for them.
Specialists believe that a handful of people with this trait developed it when they were much younger because the world revolved around them. Everything was handed over on a silver platter and they grow remaining the self-absorbed teen they were in high school.
Someone come to mind?
They believe in receiving but it’s never a thought to give back.
Know people who are always happy to share your sandwich but will watch you starve while they eat? Self entitled people often believe that they should be helped but they never think of returning any favors and are oblivious to other people’s feelings. They also never take it into account that their happiness comes at other people’s expense.
For example, imagine having to rework your schedule to accommodate holidays, appointmemnts, ‘things that have come up’ but the one time you have a work thing that needs bringing a partner, they’re unavailable and have things to sort out.
In a society like ours that's based on unwritten laws like returning favours, paying compliments and generally giving back, entitled people are usually thought of as ungrateful.
Photo by Maria Lysenko on Unsplash
Prone to anger with a belief it’s right
Self-entitled people can get very angry and throw tantrums that rival that of a little child. Being egotistical justifies this anger for them and fuels the belief that everyone is beneath them. They tend to have overly critical viewpoints and can hardly praise someone for a win.
Their simmering anger causes them to downplay others’ success by attributing some negativity to it. With that you hear things like; ‘You should have been promoted years ago’ or ‘you got that because you’re pals with the boss’
They’re always angry with the world when things don’t go their way and are not afraid to communicate them. Sometimes, their anger is a mask for another emotion like shame. Just like the bullies in high school.
Some entitled people feed off a sense of pity
'Hear things like, it’s just my poor luck..'
'Everyone isn’t created equal...'
'It’s just unfortunate that I’m in this position....'
For self-entitled people, when domineering and arrogant behavior don’t work out, they tend to resort to self-pity and attention seeking with the hope of manipulating people to do their will.
There’s always someone to blame for the situation they find themselves in and often turn their feelins into facts which again screms manipulative behaviour.
Although they don’t believe social norms apply to them, they are ready to shout from the top of the roof if they feel shortchanged.
For example, if a group of people were working on a project together, a self entitled person may default in their part of the work and not submit things on time. Yet, they’d want to receive the most credit when the project turns out really good.
And when the project doesn’t turn out well, you bet they’re making a run for the hills and don’t want to be associated with it.
Dealing with the ‘pity me’ self-entitled people, one has to be fair but FIRM. If you don’t put your foot down, they can trick you into doing things for them out of a sense of pity.
They expect privilege so much that being equal seems like oppression
Ever met someone who keeps taking and taking but when it’s time to give back, they show their displeasure and give so dramatically, everyone notices their good deed the very few times they actually give something in return.
It’s born of a sense of entitlement
Some people like to stay high up their horses that doing anything normal feels like they’re being short-changed.
In little ways, we all display a level of entitlement.
With little things like expecting a higher pay because of your gender, expecting to have certain social opportunities because of your social class or race, and even expecting to benefit from someone else’s success when you didn’t work a dime for it.
It’s all a feeling of entitlement no matter how little.
And we have to be cautious of it.
Self-entitlement is pronounced in some more than others.
Have you ever had to deal with a self-entitled person? How did you handle it? Share in the comments section so we can all learn.
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