1. Entitlement Behaviors
The "Affluenza" Syndrome: Linking Sense of Entitlement and Childhood Indulgence to Adult Entitlement Behaviors
Vivian Ta, Maryam Tajmirriyahi & William Ickes
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
INTRODUCTION
Study 1 & 2
Study 3
Hypothesis
Narcissism mediates the relationship between family-of-origin SES and an entitlement behavior in which a person's own needs is fulfilled at the expense of another person’s need.
Participants
Study 1: N = 210 (63 male, 147 female); Study 2: N = 207 (71 male, 136 female)
Method
Subjects signed up to participate in a two-part study in which they were informed that they must complete both parts of the study
Part 1 consisted of completing an online survey which consisted of the Narcissism Personality Inventory and demographic information
Part 2 consisted of completing a task in-lab
Once the respondents completed Part 1, they were able to sign up for Part 2
Failing to sign-up for Part 2 was coded as an entitlement behavior (DV); neglecting to fulfill an implied obligation to the experimenter.
Mediation Analysis
Results
Narcissism significantly mediated the relationship between family SES and the observed entitlement behavior in both studies.
Discussion
Family SES appeared to be a “risk factor” for adult entitlement behavior only when the young adult who engaged in this behavior also had a relatively high level of narcissism.
Findings limited to only one entitled behavior: single act of satisfying one’s own needs at another person’s expense.
Need to test a range of entitlement behaviors
Does family SES or childhood indulgence result in more entitled behaviors?
Need to assess the degree of childhood indulgence in the form of being given things without having to work for (i.e., earn) them.
What is Affluenza?
Although the term “affluenza” has been used to describe consumer overconsumption, this term was recently popularized with a different definition due to the Ethan Couch case.
Couch was 16-years-old when he was charged with killing 4 people while driving drunk.
He was sentenced to 10 years of probation after his lawyers argued that he suffered from “affluenza”: because of his wealthy upbringing and his parents indulgent approach to child rearing, he never learned the consequences of his inappropriate actions.
Hypothesis
Childhood indulgence, rather than SES generally, is the specific precursor of a sense of entitlement and a wide range of adult entitlement behaviors
Participants
N = 393 (126 male, 264 female)
Method
A (1) retrospective measure of self-entitlement behaviors and (2) a measure of childhood indulgence was created.
Demographic questions, Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Pathological Narcissistic Inventory, Psychological Entitlement Scale, Social Desirability Scale, Childhood Indulgence Scale, and Adult Entitlement Behaviors Scale
Data Analysis
Multiple regression
Predictors: sense of entitlement, childhood indulgence, gender, age, ethnicity SES, social desirability (control)
Outcome: adult entitlement behaviors
Results
Discussion
Suggests that five variables (childhood indulgence, sense of entitlement, egocentrism, age, and gender) play an important role in affluenza, either as main effects or as moderators.
Future research need to explore more thoroughly how these variables are related to each other and to adult entitlement behaviors.
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
The concept of “affluenza” is similar to the concept of childhood indulgence, excessive pampering, and “spoiling a child.”
The developmental literature suggests a path model in which SES, as a proxy for childhood indulgence, leads to narcissism (and its attendant, sense of entitlement), which, in turn, leads to adult entitlement behaviors.
Studies have investigated the empirical associations of socioeconomic status (SES), narcissism, and sense of entitlement. Results linked higher SES with increased levels of narcissism and entitlement (e.g., Kraus et al., 2012; Piff et al., 2010; Snibbe & Markus, 2005; Stephens et al., 2007).
Entitlement has been found to be related to self-centered behaviors such as greed (Campbell, Bonacci, Shelton, Exline, & Bushman, 2004), interpersonal violence(Bushman & Baumeister, 1998), and psychopathy(Benning, Patrick, Blonigen, Hicks, & Iacono, 2005).
Three studies were conducted to investigate how childhood indulgence and current narcissism are related to adult entitlement behaviors.
Studies 1 and 2 used measures of family-of-origin SES and narcissism to predict a single entitlement behavior (i.e., completion/non-completion of a two-part study to fulfill an implied obligation to the experimenter).
Study 3 examined the links between childhood indulgence (defined as being given versus earning things), narcissism, and a retrospective measure of adult entitlement behaviors.
Childhood
Indulgence
Narcissism
Adult
Entitlement Behaviors *
Narcissism
Main effects
Family SES
Entitled behavior
Gender X Entitlement
Age X Childhood Indulgence
Study 1
Effect = .03, SE = .02, 95% CI[.002, .07]
Study 2
Effect = .05, SE = .04, 95% CI[.002, .15].
THE CURRENT STUDIES
The positive relationship between sense of entitlement and adult entitlement behaviors was stronger for men than for women.
The relationship between childhood indulgence and adult entitlement behavior was significant for younger respondents but not for older respondents.