Date of Award

10-5-2017

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Psychology

Keywords

academic entitlement, psychological entitlement, psychological well-being, self-construal

Supervisor

Kuo, Ben

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

This study examined psychological entitlement (PE) and academic entitlement (AE) in a sample of undergraduate students from the University of Windsor. Contrary to the popular belief that entitlement is rampant among today’s young adults, on average, the present study found that less than 80% of the participants endorsed the items on the entitlement scales. Multiple regression analyses of self-report responses showed that higher PE was predicted by unemployment, older age, more recent generation status, and engaging in less social comparison. Higher AE was predicted by younger age, more recent generation status, lower self-esteem, and lower self-efficacy. Furthermore, AE was negatively associated with several psychological well-being (PWB) factors, while PE had no correlation with PWB. Although PE and AE are moderately correlated, AE appeared to be a more problematic form of entitlement than PE in the current sample. In addition, PE and AE levels were compared across broad ethnocultural groups. Although PE was positively correlated with independent self-construal, PE was actually higher in participants of collectivist ethnocultural descent compared to those of individualist ethnocultural descent, even after controlling for demographic variables. PE was also higher in Asian Canadians compared to White European Canadians. The same pattern was found with AE, where AE was higher in participants of collectivist descent than those of individualist descent, and higher in Asian Canadians than White European Canadians. These results and other recent studies show that entitlement is not likely just a “Western” phenomenon. Implications for research and practical intervention are discussed.

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