Psychological Entitlement Research Articles

Exploring the relationship between paternal co‐parenting behaviors and cyberbullying perpetration in Chinese adolescents: The moderating roles of psychological entitlement and gender

AbstractThis study examined the relationships between paternal co‐parenting dimensions (including integrity, consistency, conflict, and bias) and adolescent cyberbullying perpetration, delving into potential moderating mechanisms. A sample of 795 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.79 years, SD = 1.67) completed questionnaires assessing parental co‐parenting, cyberbullying perpetration, and psychological entitlement. Results showed a positive association only between paternal co‐parenting bias and cyberbullying perpetration. The study identified a moderating role of psychological entitlement, indicating a stronger link between paternal co‐parenting bias and cyberbullying perpetration for adolescents with higher psychological entitlement than for those with lower psychological entitlement. Notably, the significant association between paternal co‐parenting bias and cyberbullying perpetration only existed among boys. The study provides new insights into the roles of paternal co‐parenting and adolescent psychological entitlement in cyberbullying perpetration among adolescent boys, emphasizing the importance of mitigating paternal co‐parenting bias and reducing adolescent psychological entitlement to prevent cyberbullying perpetration.

Workaholism and workplace incivility: a moderated dual-process model

Despite the ubiquity of workaholism and workplace incivility, extant research lacks sufficient empirical support on the underlying mechanisms between them, which hinders curtailing the uncivil behavior of workaholics. To systematically investigate the underlying mechanisms, we proposed two mediators: emotional exhaustion and psychological entitlement. The former illustrates why workaholics engage in uncivil behaviors uncontrollably from the existing conservation of resources perspective, which captures the behavioral dimension of workaholism. The latter explains why workaholics engage in workplace incivility voluntarily from a novel moral licensing perspective, which captures the overlooked cognitive dimension of workaholism. Further, we incorporate supervisor-subordinate guanxi as a critical moderator that helps differentiate the above two mediators. Results across two studies suggested that supervisor-subordinate guanxi alleviates the indirect effects of workaholism on workplace incivility via emotional exhaustion, while magnifying the indirect effects via psychological entitlement. Overall, these findings provide evidence that workaholism can also psychologically free employees to engage in subsequent uncivil behaviors.

Insights Into Core Self-Evaluations and Psychological Entitlement for Small Businesses Hiring Practices

Insights Into Core Self-Evaluations and Psychological Entitlement for Small Businesses Hiring Practices

Mental Toughness and its Relationship to ‎Psychological Entitlement among‏ ‏ Faculty Members at the University

Mental Toughness and its Relationship to ‎Psychological Entitlement among‏ ‏ Faculty Members at the University

Psychological Entitlement in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Psychological Entitlement in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Subordinate self-serving attribution of leader respect and employee interpersonal deviance

Subordinate self-serving attribution of leader respect (SSALR) refers to the extent to which employees attribute leader respect to intrinsic personal factors, such as their ability and contribution to the organization, rather than extrinsic factors, such as leadership or luck. Based on attribution theory, we proposed that subordinate SSALR triggers psychological entitlement, inducing subordinate interpersonal deviance. In Study 1 (n = 139) and Study 2 (n = 200) we conducted experiments to investigate the association between subordinate SSALR and subordinate psychological entitlement, and, by extension, interpersonal deviance through psychological entitlement. Empirical results showed that subordinate SSALR positively correlated with subordinate psychological entitlement. Additionally, subordinate psychological entitlement was positively associated with subordinate interpersonal deviance and mediates the relationship between subordinate SSALR and subordinate interpersonal deviance. This study's contribution lies in testing, for the first time, the influence of subordinate SSALR on subordinate interpersonal deviance, which has important theoretical and practical significance.

Moral licensing effect of work engagement: The role of psychological entitlement and relationship conflict with supervisors

AbstractGiven the importance of work engagement for organizations and the almost unified and steadfast understanding of its benefits, it is imperative to investigate the potential downside of work engagement to prevent unexpected damage. However, there has been relatively little research on its negative impacts. Drawing on the moral licensing theory, this study identifies the potential negative effects of work engagement by exploring the mediating role of psychological entitlement. An online experiment and a survey are conducted to test the theoretical model. The results reveal that work engagement leads to deviant workplace behavior through psychological entitlement only in cases where there is a higher level of relationship conflict with supervisors. The conclusions of this study shed light on how work engagement negatively affects organizations. The current study also contributes to practice by suggesting that supervisors should be aware of employees with a higher level of work engagement and communicate with them in a reasonable manner.

An Integrated Model of Psychological Entitlement and Behavioral Outcomes Within Service Sector in Beijing, China

This study aims to investigate the integrated model of psychological entitlement and behavioral outcomes within the service sector in Beijing, China. Grounded in established theories of organizational psychology, such as Social Exchange Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, our research seeks to understand the nuanced dynamics shaping employee behaviors in the culturally distinctive context of Beijing's service industry. Building upon prior studies that have explored psychological entitlement and behavioral outcomes separately, this research proposes an integrated model that examines how individual entitlement perceptions influence observable behaviors within the unique cultural and organizational milieu of Beijing. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys and interviews to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from employees within the service sector in Beijing. Surveys will assess psychological entitlement levels and perceived behavioral outcomes, while interviews will provide deeper insights into the underlying motivations and contextual factors influencing the observed relationships. Additionally, the research will consider cultural dimensions, including Confucian values and collectivism, to explore potential moderating effects on the relationship between psychological entitlement and behavioral outcomes. The anticipated findings of this study aim to contribute to the theoretical understanding of how psychological entitlement shapes employee behaviors within the service sector in Beijing. Practical implications will be discussed, providing organizational leaders with insights to tailor management strategies for optimizing employee performance and enhancing overall service quality in this unique cultural and economic setting. The integrated model proposed in this study seeks to bridge the gap in existing literature, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between psychological entitlement and behavioral outcomes within the dynamic service sector of Beijing, China.

Psychological Entitlement and Spiritual Entitlement as Correlates of Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Students Christian Religious Studies

This research explored the correlates of psychological entitlement and spiritual entitlement on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among students. A cross-sectional research design was adopted to purposely recruit a total population of 97 students studying Christian religious studies from Nasarawa State University The students were administered the Psychological Entitlement Scale, the Spiritual Entitlement Scale, and the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. The result showed no significant relationship between psychological entitlement and COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy (r = -.154, p >0.05) and spiritual entitlement and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy’ (r=.117 at p>0.05) However,the maladaptive subscale showed a significant negative relationship with COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. The Psychological Entitlement and Spiritual Entitlement Scale jointly predicted COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (R= .393; F= 8.564, P < .01) It is recommended that future vaccine campaigns engage with religious leaders to appeal to their beliefs and values and encourage them to accept the vaccine. This is the first study to link entitlement mentality with vaccination uptake in Nigeria.

Investigating the link between psychological entitlement and workplace deviance: moderations and post hoc analysis

PurposeThis study aims to explore the impact of psychosocial entitlement on workplace deviance, particularly in contexts marked by increased job autonomy. Additionally, this study delves into the organizational factors, including perceived support and justice, which play a crucial role in this dynamic.Design/methodology/approachApplying social exchange theory (SET), this study contends that fostering a fair and supportive workplace can deter entitled employees from workplace deviance. This study used time-lagged, multi-source data to analyse the interplay between psychological entitlement and workplace deviance in the presence of job autonomy and to assess the influence of perceived organizational justice and support. This study’s analysis uses SmartPLS for partial least square-structural equation modelling.FindingsThe study’s results indicate an elevated sense of entitlement among employees working autonomously and a heightened propensity for deviant behaviour when psychological entitlement increases. Yet, the data revealed moderating effects of perceived organizational support on the relationship between psychological entitlement and workplace deviance. A post hoc analysis found full mediation effects by psychological entitlement on the relationship between perceived organizational justice and workplace deviance.Research limitations/implicationsTo enhance organizational dynamics, management should prioritize promoting employee perceptions of organizational justice and support through impartial human resource policies, consistent policy implementation, initiatives such as virtual learning, improved mental health benefits and measurement tools for feedback on justice and support measures.Originality/valueAn essential theoretical contribution of this research resides in its extension beyond the conventional application of SET, traditionally associated with reciprocity in the workplace. This study showcases its effectiveness in elucidating the impact of psychosocial factors on reciprocity in organizational dynamics.

Does Overqualification Play a Promoting or a Hindering Role? The Impact of Public Employees' Perceived Overqualification on Workplace Behaviors.

Drawing upon the conservation of resource theory, we offer a framework for understanding the mechanism underlying the effect of public employees' overqualification on their cognitive and behavioral outcomes, through both positive and negative paths. We propose that perceived overqualification elicits two subjective cognitions, namely, perceived control and psychological entitlement, which further lead to public employees' behaviors through approach (organizational citizenship behavior) and avoidance (workplace deviance behavior) tendencies. A total of 421 public employees participated in the three-stage time-lag investigation. The findings indicated that public employees' perceived overqualification is positively related to perceived control, and perceived control is positively related to organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived control completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and organizational citizenship behavior. Perceived overqualification is positively related to psychological entitlement, and psychological entitlement is positively related to workplace deviance behavior. Psychological entitlement completely mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and workplace deviance behavior. This study constructed a double-edged sword model of perceived overqualification based on the public sector, discussing the influence of public employees' perceived overqualification on their workplace behaviors from the perspective of resource assessment and self-evaluation, and providing theoretical guidance for the practice of human resource management within the public sector.

Psychological entitlement and conspiracy beliefs: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Psychological entitlement describes the dispositional tendency to claim excessive and unearned rewards and resources, and to demand undeserved special treatment. In one experiment, one cross-sectional survey, and one time-separated survey (total n = 721), we show that psychological entitlement is associated with general conspiracy theory endorsement, COVID-19 specific conspiracy theory endorsement, and conspiracy theorizing as an overarching cognitive style. We find those high in entitlement are more likely to report having made discretionary visits to non-essential venues and services (e.g. buffets, spas, casinos) during the pandemic, and that these risky public health behaviors are mediated through beliefs in conspiracy theories. We identify consequences for public health behavior and conclude with a research agenda for better understanding the underlying mechanisms linking entitlement and conspiracy beliefs.

Psychological entitlement predicts support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries implemented a form of mandatory vaccination to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates. However, people’s attitudes toward vaccine mandates were split, and scholars pointed to their psychological foundations. This study added to this body of research and examined the relationship between psychological entitlement and attitudes toward mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. Because entitled individuals saw a vaccine mandate as a way to protect themselves from the virus, they were more likely to support mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. In September and October 2022, we surveyed 636 registered voters in South Dakota to evaluate our expectations. We measured psychological entitlement using the nine-item Psychological Entitlement Scale, social dominance orientation using the four-item Short Social Dominance Orientation scale, and partisan self-identification, COVID-19 vaccination status, education, age, and gender with single-item measures. We estimated a series of multivariate ordered logistic regression models with support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all adults, support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for children, and support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers as the respective dependent variables. The other variables mentioned above were independent variables in all models. Results showed a positive and statistically significant association between psychological entitlement and support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all adults (β = 0.029, p = 0.004), children (β = 0.041, p < 0.001), and healthcare workers (β = 0.028, p = 0.007). The correlations between social dominance orientation, partisan self-identification, and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine mandates were also statistically significant. The results of our study underscored the role of individual-level characteristics in shaping attitudes toward the management of COVID-19 outbreak.

Negative workplace gossip and knowledge hiding: roles of duty orientation and psychological entitlement

ABSTRACT Drawing on the social exchange theory, this study examined the impact of negative workplace gossip on targets’ knowledge hiding behaviours. We also examined the mediating role of duty orientation and the moderating role of psychological entitlement on the relationship between negative workplace gossip and knowledge hiding behaviours. We adopted a mixed-method research design involving a scenario experiment (Study 1) and a two-wave survey study (Study 2). The results showed that negative workplace gossip has a positive association with knowledge hiding behaviours and this relationship was mediated by duty orientation. In addition, psychological entitlement strengthens the negative influence of negative workplace gossip on duty orientation. However, the indirect effect of negative workplace gossip on knowledge hiding behaviours through duty orientation is stronger for employees with high psychological entitlement as compared to those having low levels of psychological entitlement.

License for Wrongdoing: Why better relationships with leaders lead to employee unethical behavior

Relative leader-member exchange (RLMX) refers to one’s leader-member exchange (LMX) relative to the average LMX within the team. Higher RLMX indicates a better-than-average relationship quality with the leader. Drawing on social comparison theory and the literature on psychological licensing, we suggest that higher RLMX is likely to facilitate employee psychological entitlement, leading to engagement in unethical behavior. In addition, the indirect relationship is more salient in teams with a higher political climate. The results of a scenario experiment and a multi-wave, multi-source survey provide support for the hypotheses. Implications for research, practice, and future research are discussed.

When and how political skill becomes counterproductive: A moral licensing view

Counterintuitive to the generally prevailing positive view of political skill, we suggest that this social competency also has the potential to foster dysfunctional outcomes for organizations. Drawing insights from moral licensing theory, the study examines a framework that explains how politically skilled employees strategize to fulfill their self-serving objectives through leader-member exchange (LMX) relations. The findings from a multi-source sample of 250 private sector employees supported our proposed framework and demonstrated that political skill is indirectly related to self-serving counterproductive behaviors through LMX, with psychological entitlement as an important boundary condition. The study’s implications, its strengths and limitations, and future research directions are also discussed. JEL Classification: D23

From Good Soldier to Bad Apple: The Dark Side of Corporation Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility has been broadly accepted as an effective way to maintain corporations’ sustainability. Many corporations have institutionalized CSR involvement and mobilized their employees to engage in CSR-related activities. However, little research has been done to examine the negative consequences when employees are mandated to engage in CSR activities, not to mention the mechanism connecting CSR mandate and negative consequences. In this research, I found that employees’ CSR engagement under organizational pressure will lead to psychological entitlement, subsequently leading to counterproductive work behaviors. Further, socially responsible human resource management policies and employees’ narcissism influence the effects of interest.

What is COVID-19 anyway? Narcissism and pandemic attitudes and behaviours

Researchers have demonstrated relationships between dark personality traits (e.g., narcissism) and pandemic behaviours (e.g., disregard for public health interventions). Individuals who disregard public health measures risk spreading COVID-19 infection, which has important public health implications. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between narcissism and pandemic attitudes and behaviours using a large population representative sample of North American adults (N = 5812). Participants completed measures of narcissism, psychological entitlement, non-adherence to non-pharmaceutical public health interventions (NPI), COVID disregard, anti-vaccination attitudes, reasons for social distancing, and COVID stress. Results of MANOVA demonstrated that individuals with high levels of narcissism self-reported greater levels of non-adherence to NPI, COVID disregard, COVID stress, anti-vaccination attitudes, and psychological entitlement compared to those with low levels of narcissism. Further, men with high levels of narcissism self-reported greater levels of non-adherence to NPI, COVID disregard, COVID stress, and psychological entitlement, in comparison to women with high levels of narcissism. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between narcissistic traits, sex, and pandemic attitudes and behaviours and have implications for tailoring pandemic-specific public health interventions based on individual difference variables.

Even Nectar is Poisonous in Excess: The Impact of Leader Humility on Pride, Entitlement, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Studies on the effect of leader humility generally portray leader humility as beneficial, whereas a minority of studies recognize potential negative influences. This is probably most clearly the case in the study of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) for which both positive and negative relationships with leader humility have been established. We advance the analysis of the leader humility—OCB relationship by proposing that leader humility has diminishing returns, such that its effects are positive at lower levels but at higher levels turn negative. We argue that high levels of leader humility boost followers’ views of themselves, as expressed in higher levels of pride, which gives rise to psychological entitlement. Such entitlement in turn reduces OCB. This suggests a model in which leader humility has a curvilinear, increasing returns, relationship with follower entitlement, mediated by follower pride, that in turn mediates a curvilinear, decreasing returns, relationship with OCB. Results of a multiwave, multisource survey supported these predictions.

The effect of psychological entitlement and abusive supervision on organizational deviance in cabin attendants

The behavior of employees and managers within the organization is often an influential factor in the functioning of the organization. Therefore, some issues in organizations constitute a particular area of investigation. In this context, the aim of study is to measure the impact of psychological entitlement and abusive supervision on organizational deviance The data of the study consisted of 271 full-time employees in organizations operating within the scope of airline transportation in Istanbul. Relational survey method was used in the study. In the study, the psychological entitlement scale adapted into Turkish by Kürü (2022), the organizational deviance scale adapted into Turkish by Gültaç (2019) and the abusive supervision scale adapted into Turkish by Ülbeği, Özgen and Özgen (2014) were used. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the validity of the scales used in the research. Kruskal Wallis test, Mann Whitney U test, correlation and regression analyses were conducted to test the problems in the research. Among the scales used in the study, the Cronbach Alpha value of the psychological entitlement scale is 0.86, the Cronbach Alpha value of the abusive supervision scale is 0.97 and the Cronbach Alpha value of the organizational deviance scale is 0.96. According to the results of confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modeling, the scales were found to be appropriate for the study. When the findings are analyzed, psychological entitlement, organizational deviance and abusive supervision dimensions did not differ significantly with gender, age, marital status and length of service in the organization. Those with undergraduate education have the highest mean for psychological entitlement, those with graduate education have the highest mean for organizational deviance, and those with graduate education have the highest mean for abusive supervision. Abusive supervision has a positive very low-level correlation with psychological entitlement and a positive low-level correlation and significant relationship with organizational deviance. In conclusion, psychological entitlement and abusive supervision did not have any predictive effect on organizational deviance. (Extended English summary is at the end of this document) Özet Örgütteki çalışan ve yöneticilerin davranışları, örgütün işleyişini etkileyen önemli faktörlerdendir. Bu nedenle örgütlerde bazı konular özellikle bir inceleme alanı oluşturmaktadır. Bu kapsamda çalışmanın amacı psikolojik ayrıcalık ve istismarcı yönetimin örgütsel sapma üzerindeki etkisini ölçmektir. Araştırmanın verisi, İstanbul’da havayolu taşımacılığı kapsamında faaliyet gösteren örgütlerde tam zamanlı çalışan statüsündeki 271 personel oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada ilişkisel tarama yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada Kürü (2022) tarafından Türkçe’ye uyarlanan psikolojik ayrıcalık ölçeği, Gültaç (2019) tarafından Türkçe’ye uyarlanan örgütsel sapma ölçeği ve Ülbeği, Özgen ve Özgen (2014) tarafından Türkçe’ye uyarlanan istismarcı yönetim ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında kullanılan ölçeklerin geçerliliklerinin test edilmesi amacıyla doğrulayıcı faktör analizi (DFA) yapılmıştır. Araştırmada yer alan problemlerin testi için Kruskal Wallis testi, Mann Whitney U testi, korelasyon ve regresyon analizleri yapılmıştır. Araştırmada kullanılan ölçeklerden psikolojik ayrıcalık ölçeğinin Cronbach Alpha değeri 0.86, istismarcı yönetim ölçeğinin Cronbach Alpha değeri 0.97 ve örgütsel sapma ölçeğinin Cronbach Alpha değeri 0.96’dır. Yapısal eşitlik modellemesi ile yapılan doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçlarına göre ölçeklerin çalışma için uygun olduğu görülmüştür. Bulgulara bakıldığında, psikolojik ayrıcalık, örgütsel sapma ve istismarcı yönetim boyutlarının cinsiyet, yaş, medeni durum ve kurumda çalışma süresi ile anlamlı farklılaşmadığı görülmüştür. Psikolojik ayrıcalık için lisans eğitimine sahip olanlar en yüksek ortalamaya, örgütsel sapma için lisansüstü eğitime sahip olanlar en yüksek ortalamaya ve istismarcı yönetim için yine lisansüstü eğitime sahip olanlar en yüksek ortalamaya sahiptir. İstismarcı yönetim psikolojik ayrıcalık ile pozitif çok düşük düzeyde (0.123) korelasyona ve örgütsel sapma ile pozitif yönde düşük düzeyde (0,318) korelasyona ve anlamlı ilişkiye sahiptir. Sonuç olarak, psikolojik ayrıcalık ve istismarcı yönetim’in örgütsel sapma üzerindeki herhangi bir yordayıcı etkisinin olmadığı görülmüştür.