Generational trends in entitlement from a multi-dimensional approach

Abstract

The psychological construct of entitlement has received attention in recent years and is frequently used to describe the Millennial generation. Yet, research has not been conclusive in supporting this assertion. One issue impacting current research on entitlement is the myriad definitions being used to describe the construct. Some research has focused on entitlement as a unidimensional personality trait that is directly related to narcissism, while other research has suggested a multidimensional structure that encompasses social psychological elements as well. The current study examined the relationship between the two definitions of entitlement and generational trends according to each conceptualization. Small to moderate correlations were observed between the components of the two conceptualizations of entitlement. Results of a MANOVA indicated no generational differences according to either conceptualization; additionally, SES and gender did not moderate the relationship between generation and entitlement.

Keywords

• entitlement
• generation
• social psychology
• personality psychology
• narcissism