Give me a break.

 I want to bang my head, because people feel entitled. They believe that the universe owes them something.

Entitlement often looks like a natural extension of our individualism. We are taught to value personal freedom and autonomy. “You deserve it” is practically the tagline of every advertisement. The “American Dream” itself suggests that if you work hard, you’re owed success. But this can create a slippery slope. What happens when you don’t get what you think you’ve earned? Cue entitlement.

Why People Act Entitled

So, why are some of us more prone to entitlement than others? Let’s explore the psychological roots.

I. Learned Behavior

Entitlement can definitely be linked back to how you were brought up. Overly permissive parenting where kids are rarely told “no” or neglectful parenting where children overcompensate by demanding attention as adults. Too many kids are overly catered to and constantly told, “You’re special,” or, “You deserve the best.” While empowering, these messages can also backfire, creating unrealistic expectations. And don’t get me started on the “everyone gets a ribbon/trophy” fiasco.

II. Personality and Mental Health Disorders

Entitlement is a hallmark of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, where people believe they’re inherently superior and deserving of special treatment.

III. Anxiety

Anxiety and low self-esteem can lead to entitlement as a mechanism someone uses to compensate and protect themselves from their underlying fears, insecurities, or feelings of inadequacy. Anxiety often stems from a fear of uncertainty or a perceived lack of control over life circumstances. Entitlement can emerge as a coping strategy to mitigate these feelings. By acting entitled, someone attempts to regain control or predictability in their lives.

So, a coworker with anxiety about meeting a deadline might demand extra help from teammates, assuming their stress makes their needs more important. In relationships, an anxious partner might expect constant reassurance, feeling entitled to their partner’s undivided attention to calm any fears they’re having.

IV. Low Self-esteem

When you’ve got low self-esteem, there’s a belief that you’re unworthy, inadequate, or not enough somehow. To counteract these feelings, entitlement can serve as a defense mechanism to protect the ego from perceived threats or rejection. So, someone with low self-esteem might expect excessive praise for minor achievements, needing external validation to feel valued. Or a friend with low self-esteem might expect you to drop everything to help them because they fear being seen as unworthy of your care if you don’t.

Both anxiety and low self-esteem can make people hypersensitive to rejection. They may act entitled to others’ time, attention, or resources to avoid situations that could reinforce their fears of being unwanted or unimportant.

Get over yourself it is only by grace. You can work your ass off forever there is no guarantees in this life. You might wake up tomorrow morning deadly ill, in a war, tornado, earthquake etc. the list is endless. Life is not fair and if you are lucky enough to reap some blessings be grateful and not a brat.