"You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was"
-Abraham Lincoln
Have you ever met someone who is not satisfied unless their own needs are being met? Someone who seems like the whole universe owes them? Dealing with people like this can feel very aggravating. Society criticizes and condemns a behavior like this. If this sounds like you or someone you know, then the sense of entitlement is the spirit here.
Entitlement is "an unrealistic, unmerited, or inappropriate expectation of favorable living conditions and favorable treatment at the hands of others". In simple terms, people with a sense of self-entitlement believe the universe owes them something in exchange for nothing.
Entitlement on the path of a kid is not negative and it's normally accepted. But as we get older and during a certain age, we should be able to provide for ourselves and not expect other people to do that for us. Absolute care for yourself is what I'm talking about.
Amazingly, the sense of self-entitlement can erupt from feelings of being mistreated or not getting what we need. Saying that "I deserve to be treated with respect and commiseration, just like everyone".
Do you think you deserve better?
Children are supposed to feel special. They need to have the sense that they can touch the skies. But it is also vital that they learn as they grow that they should put their needs on the condition of being out of active consideration.
A great deal of entitlement is needed in adults too. We have the right to take care of our children and family as a whole. The right to be respected by others and not to be hurt by them is also a healthy form of entitlement. But, stepping out of the line to feel that you freaking deserve the great treatment at all times is not only unhealthy but destructive as well.
Why the sense of self-entitlement?
We have been programmed to be entitled from infancy, and we are also programmed to develop the sense of appreciating the needs of others. This development cannot be shoved down the throat of a child, he has to gradually learn and understand through experiences from the parents or other people in society.
We can learn to manage our needs through kind and supportive guidance from others, and who we know also love us. Unluckily, our culture doesn't support or help facilitate this development. So there are people who feel miserable because of their uncompromising attitude. They are always thinking of the 'I' first before the 'you'.
Imagine the person you hold the door open for, but never hold it open for you, not even when you are holding items in both arms. Self-entitled people are always unhappy, angry, ungrateful, and have very low self-esteem.
I will talk about dealing with self-entitlement in another article later.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
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