Ways to identify people with entitlement mentality and handle them

There are people who tend to feel they are entitled to whatever they want from you, any time they demand for it. People with this trait called entitlement mentality are quite full of themselves and act like the world revolves all around them.   

They come with different approaches aimed at making you feel like you owe them something that they do not deserve in any way. Such people come and try to gaslight you into meeting their needs, while on the other hand, they care less about what concerns you.   

They sometimes act like they deserve to be treated specially. Why? Just because they think so, or maybe not. If you don’t detect this trait early enough in people, they would eventually get a grip on your life and manipulate you to get things done for them. When you are able to detect these traits, you’ll navigate life better and make firmer decisions. Knowledge is power, right?   

How do you spot the signs?  

1. They are full of themselves  

People with an entitlement mentality are proud people who think that the moment they make a request, heads must turn to make it a reality. Sadly, most of the time, they do not deserve what they’ve requested. When there are rules, they act like they are above them, and they also strongly believe that everyone should treat them differently and especially because they think they are special.   

2. They usually seek validation for their behaviour  

One way to figure out people with an entitlement mentality is that they seek validation. They are constantly on the lookout for you to validate their behaviour. Most of the time, they know that they have poorly behaved. They want you to approve of what they are doing. It is often their desire to have you praise them for how “commanding” they are when they make demands. It also caresses their ego when you do that.  

3. They are small-minded  

They are often small-minded. Most of the time, they can’t see beyond themselves and are unwilling to learn. Their thoughts are usually centred only around them. People with an entitlement mentality are usually so shallow in their thinking, and can’t bear to see that things do not revolve around them. They are often unwilling to give ear to the views of others, and also cannot stand having to learn from someone else.   

4. They throw tantrums when they get a negative response  

This is something that is common among people with an entitlement mentality. They always want you to say yes to their every demand and once they don’t get that, they lose control of their temper, and lash out at you. Not everyone with an entitlement mentality loses their temper. Other times, they would suffer in silence and badly react from that standpoint.  

5. They desire things that they are not qualified for  

They do not work on themselves, yet they always want the best outcome from everything. They are the ones that hardly contribute to making anything better, not even themselves, but always want the best of all that there is to what they think you can offer. They want everyone to favour them above people that qualify for it. They sometimes wrongly leverage on their relationship with you, but they want you to always break the rules for them.   

How should you deal with people with an entitlement mentality?   

It’s almost hard to refuse these people, because they can be pretty manipulative in their approach. However, there are ways to keep them in check.  

1. Don’t encourage their behaviour  

You’d be encouraging them to keep at this act whenever you give in to their demands and never question them. So, you should always ask questions and demand answers when they come with their demands. If they are able to give valid responses that appeal to you, then you can give in. But if they have none to justify their demands, you can boldly decline.  

2. Set boundaries  

One thing you’d want to do is deny them easy access to you. You probably wouldn’t like to cut them off for certain reasons. However, you can keep them at arm’s length and keep relating with them from a distance. That way, if they are thoughtful and sensible, they would get the message and respect themselves. Most importantly, it will keep your mental health in check.  

3. Be open-minded  

While dealing with them, keep an open mind, and don’t relate with them from the standpoint of being judgmental. Give them room to improve. There might also be sides to them that are pleasant and not bad to put up with. Just relate with them freely, if at all you have to.   

4. Correct them  

Yes, you can correct them. However, it’s only thoughtful that you politely talk to them about what you think about their behaviour. Let them see your reasons and don’t force it down their throats. Remember, they have a choice to accept or refuse what you’re saying.   

5. Learn to say no and keep your cool when they lose it  

People with an entitlement mentality often lose their temper when they don’t get a positive response to their demands. Regardless, you should say NO if you won’t be able to meet their demands. Saying yes when you mean no would be setting yourself up for unpleasant occurrences like being subject to their never-ending demands. When they throw tantrums, keep calm and don’t react negatively because it takes two to fight.  

Conclusively, remember that you call the shots when it comes to deciding whether to give in to their demands and not.  

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