Question

Is sense of entitlement nurture or nature? How does one acquire or develop a sense of entitlement? (Please cite sources. Thank you.)

Answer 1

Nature vs Nature debate in Psychology has its roots in the theories provided by psychologist Sir Francis Galton in 1869 (Bynum, 2002). While the Nature aspect of the debate focus on the genes that a child acquires from the parents, the nurture side of the spectrum focus on the environmental settings that is provided to the child for its behavioural and cognitive milestone development. While the recent research suggest that Nature influences the social behaviour in a child, but the environment that a child recieves becomes a precipitating factor of accommodating any cognitive concept (sense of entitlement in this regard). Therefore, both the Nature and Nurture combine to exhibit a sense of social behaviour in any individual ( The Biopsychosocial model in Psychology).

For example, recent research done by (Donaldson & Young 2008) suggest that oxytocin (a hormone) which is responsible for sustaining milk production during pregnancy is a important regulator of social behaviour .It is associated with the feelings of empathy,sense of belonging and love between the others. This research supports the Nature side of the question of whether genes gives rise to certain display of social behaviour or not. However, genes alone cannot exhibit any behaviour alone. It needs to be shaped by the environment which is the nurture .whether at home or in the school premises or in a public setting, the environment constantly effects the behaviour a person.Developmental psychologists utilise the concept of Biopsychosocial model to understand that biological, social(socio culture and socio economic)and psychological factors together play an important role in formation of an concept within an individual (self entitlement in this regard). Hence, both Nature and Nurture combine to exhibit a sense of entitlement within an individual (John Gedo, 2000)

Sense of entitlement can be acquired through multiple channels such as follows.

1.Misguided Parenting techniques- Giving children whatever they need without any sense of gratitude of the same.

2.When there is an incongruency within children or adults , between balancing our own needs and those of others, it creates a sense of entiltement.

3.Narcisstic personality disorder reinforces the idea of self worship and sense of disorderly entitlement.

Hence, sense of entitlement is a result of nature interacting with nurture (as Psychoanalyst John Gedo,2000) explains aptly. Genes needs to be shaped by the environment for a cognitive and behavioural development in any individual ( The Biopsychosocial model). Self entitlement in this regard .