A Self-Presentational Account of Entitlement: Entitlement Relates to Strategically Portraying Entitled Identities

Abstract

Abstract Although entitlement is important for understanding antisocial behavior, personality dysfunction, and personality malevolence, little evidence exists on how entitlement relates to processes that could theoretically maintain and cultivate it. In line with a self-presentation conceptualization, we speculated that entitlement probably entails the cultivation and maintenance of various identities that generally occasion better treatment from audiences. This self-presentation conceptualization of entitlement has rarely been tested, and the evidence is inconclusive. To provide a more conclusive test, participants (N = 247) completed self-report indices of 6 entitlement features—from three different multidimensional models—and self-reported their past use of various self-presentation tactics. These self-presentation tactics are used to convey distinct identities (e.g., accomplished, threatening, superior) that generally garner better treatment from audiences. Exploratory factor analysis suggested the 6 entitlement indicators were composed of a single entitlement factor; generally, consistent with the self-presentation conceptualization, this entitlement factor related to more use of all the self-presentation tactics except benevolent tactics (apologies and exemplification) and supplication. Moreover, each entitlement indicator showed an approximately similar pattern of relations to the self-presentation tactics, suggesting they all share a similar approach to self-presentation. Hence, the findings are consistent with conceptualizing entitlement and its various features as including the strategic maintenance of identities that should occasion entitled treatment; such findings may have implications for understanding the foundations of entitlement. Supplemental materials are available here: https://files.press.uillinois.edu/journals/supplemental/ajp/hart/index.html