54 Entitled Moments So Wild They’re Hard To Believe

While consumerism and capitalism play a major role in how we see ourselves, entitlement is also shaped by social media, mainstream cultural messages, and technology. All of this makes it easier than ever to assume the world will bend to our desires and needs.

Studies in psychology note that these trends are shifting our priorities: people are more focused on their own rights and comfort than on responsibility towards others.

“If people feel they are entitled to consume, they see consuming as an expected reward for behaving in a certain way,” writes Sue LT McGregor of Canada’s Mount Saint Vincent University in her 2022 study.

Entitlement shows up in a lot of places — in viral videos of shoppers yelling at retail workers, travelers demanding airline perks they haven’t paid for, like a window seat, or people cutting lines just because they feel they can.

Scholars agree that entitlement is traditionally a “maladaptive trait” that leads to narcissism, conflicts with others, and affects overall mental health.

This can happen because entitled people might tend to lash out or get frustrated when things do not go their way. It can ultimately put a strain on relationships and their overall environment.

Contrary to what the entitled might want to achieve, they are often far from the happiest.

Experts believe that life rarely hands out everything we feel we deserve, and those with a strong sense of entitlement can be left feeling disappointed.

“When people think that they should have everything they want — often for nothing — it comes at the cost of relationships with others and, ultimately, their own happiness,” Julie Exline, co-author of a study on entitlement, was quoted as saying in a press release.

Entitlement is not always personal; it can also be socially reinforced.

Studies show that wealth and privilege lead to higher feelings of entitlement and even narcissism. This may be because their position makes special treatment seem normal or even expected.

It is no wonder we see so many stories of celebrities acting like they own the world — from James Corden being banned from a New York restaurant for yelling at the staff over an omelet, to Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber being accused of illegally using disabled parking spaces.

Because when privilege goes unchecked, it is easy to see how entitlement can reach absurd levels.