47 Entitled And Overly Dramatic People That Made Everyone Else Side-Eye Hard

Seeing someone overreact to a perfectly normal situation can be jarring. You might be wondering what in the world is wrong with them, and you might be scared that they’ll take out their frustration on you next. But the truth is, this reaction usually isn’t random. And it might be best to try to understand where exactly it is coming from.

Ilene Strauss Cohen, PhD, wrote a piece for Psychology Today explaining that these emotional overreactions usually come from one of a few emotional triggers. Perhaps the situation reminded the person of unresolved past experiences, perceived injustices, or triggered their protective instincts.   

It’s also possible that people overreact when their energy supplies feel threatened. For example, if an introvert feels a loss of solitude, they may become depleted, and it’ll be hard for them to be on their best behavior. Or, if someone feels unappreciated, they might be frustrated and short-tempered with people. 

Meanwhile, stressful interactions can cause people to react in ways that they wouldn’t normally. Once your emotional reserves are depleted, it will become increasingly difficult to be polite and kind to everyone you encounter. 

While it can be uncomfortable to deal with someone who’s overreacting, the best thing to do is to work on de-escalating the situation. Dr. Strauss Cohen recommends acknowledging their emotional triggers and understanding their energy threats. Refrain from reacting emotionally, and stop to think about what’s really behind their behavior. 

Maybe they just received terrible news this morning, or perhaps they are exhausted because they have a newborn. If you respond to them with empathy, it’ll be much easier to calm them down.    

It’s great to be understanding of others. But you might reach a point where your patience runs out. And this might be because the person isn’t simply overreacting; they’re demonstrating entitled behavior.

BetterHelp explains that entitled individuals are often extremely self-confident, have bold personalities, believe that they should benefit from every situation, lash out when they don’t get what they want, have an attitude that fluctuates significantly, and believe that they should be admired and respected.  

As with all other behaviors, entitlement comes from somewhere. And according to BetterHelp, this might stem from being spoiled as a child, attempting to overcompensate for past wrongs, or having a personality disorder. Entitled individuals may have a skewed sense of self that allows them to view themselves as better than others. They deserve better treatment, and it’s impossible to understand why others wouldn’t cater to their every whim.      

The good news, however, is that with a bit of effort, a sense of entitlement can be overcome. This will first require an entitled individual to stop comparing themself to others. They need to stop seeing other people as competition or as people who deserve less.

It’s also important for entitled people to learn how to accept inconveniences and setbacks. This will be difficult at first, but the reality is that we all deal with them. Learning how to handle them without having a meltdown is an important step.