Feeling entitled means going ahead to feel that one deserves whatever the other has without necessarily meriting or deserving it. It is a habitual tendency that tends to span from childhood through adulthood. When a child is not trained to be content, there is a high probability that the child will turn into an entitled adult.
In our society today, entitlement mentality can be seen in our political, socioeconomic, and religious spheres. This menace has eaten deeply into the fibre of even the family unit, and one may begin to envisage that there may be no end to such a feeling.
The success or achievement of an individual may irk the entitled one, and such can lead to malicious setup and even murder. For instance, in a family unit, the most fortunate one is preyed on and often manipulated or blackmailed to think that he or she has to give their all to other members of the family simply because they are related and not because they are in need or disadvantaged.
Making others feel that they owe you what they are enjoying is an entitlement mentality. As a matter of fact, people who feel entitled often perceive life from the angle of selfishness in the sense that they only think of how to obtain and do not ever think of giving back or rendering any help whatsoever, all they think about is self, their selfish ambition and are largely ingrates with demanding and controlling behaviour.
Most times, people with an entitlement mentality are groomed by people who instigate that it is not wrong to feel that way, as they are only demanding or enjoying what rightfully belongs to them. The groomer may be grooming that mindset out of sheer ignorance or from an archaic headspace. Instead of encouraging their mentee to work on themselves and become self-reliant, they beat into them the drums of entitlement.
Another angle to this is laziness. The feeling and urge to reap where one has now sown will ultimately lead to an entitlement mentality. Lack of motivation and self-worth is another mayhem that can make a person entitled. They typically lack empathy, with no understanding of the needs of others.
Not accepting responsibility and refusing to ‘grow up` is another reason to act that way. Most often, refusal to take responsibility or pay the price leads to the feeling of entitlement.
The consequences of an entitlement mentality include negative impact on the family and, by extension, society, forced or damaged relationships caused by obvious strains due to non-consideration and non-reciprocation, and stunted personal growth and achievement.
However, to overcome this mindset, one has to take responsibility, develop empathy and self-worth, practice self-reflection, or even seek professional help.
On the flip side, if conscious effort like being intentional about not feeling entitled is imbibed, it can be detrimental and lead to grave consequences such as depression, isolation, social withdrawal and mental health issues, as no one wants to be around one who feels entitled to what is not rightly theirs.
Written by: ThankGod E. Airiohuodion (awakenigeria)
