Feeling entitled to rules: Entitled individuals prevent norm violators from rising up the ranks

Abstract

Social norms regulate group processes and ensure group survival. Despite the pivotal role of norms in social life, norm violations are widespread. It is therefore crucial to understand what motivates people to reinforce norms and prevent norm violators from gaining influence. Here we examine how psychological entitlement modulates observers' tendencies to reject norm violators' claims to higher rank. On the one hand, entitled individuals behave loosely themselves, which may render them tolerant of others' norm violations. On the other hand, entitled individuals are concerned about their standing, which may fuel negative reactions to norm violators' claims to higher rank. We tested these competing hypotheses in three studies. Participants read vignettes of an organizational meeting (Study 1) or a political debate (Studies 2–3) during which a protagonist either followed or violated social norms. We measured participants' trait entitlement (Study 1) or manipulated entitlement with a writing prompt task (Studies 2–3). The results showed that participants generally rejected norm violators' claims to higher rank. However, the rejection of norm violators was stronger among high-entitlement participants, who were less willing to support norm violators as leaders (passive rejection; Studies 1–2) and more willing to punish them (active rejection; Study 3). When confronted with norm violators, high-entitlement participants experienced greater threat to their social position, which mediated their rejection of norm violators (Studies 2–3). Entitled individuals' tendency to reprimand norm violators highlights the potentially adaptive benefits of entitlement as a social-regulatory mechanism in organizations and society at large.