Some people think they are entitled to more than others. This behaviour can be classified and is called Psychological Entitlement. This study examines Entitlement in a service context using an online survey with 248 participants. As the first of its kind, this study is able to confirm a connection between self-awareness of physical attractiveness and entitled behaviour. In addition, it is shown that individuals who show Entitlement also have higher expectations of the emphatic behaviour of service personel. Thus, it can be confirmed that psychological entitlement is not just a theoretical construct, but a concept that influences everyday life in a relevant manner. A relationship between attractiveness and expectations could only be established by the Mediator Entitlement. This means that individuals who consider themselves to be particularly attractive do not automatically have high expectations of services. This only becomes relevant through a certain degree of entitlement.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Entitlement
2.1.1 Definitions of Entitlement
2.1.2 Entitlement and Narcissism
2.1.3 Forms of Entitlement and its effects
2.1.4 Measuring Entitlement
2.2 Physical Attractiveness
2.2.1 General Definition of physical attractiveness
2.2.2 Self-perception of physical attractiveness
2.3 Consumer Expectations in Service Environments
2.4 Research Questions
3 Methodology
3.1 Design
3.2 Ethical Considerations
3.3 Participants
3.4 Instruments
3.4.1 Entitlement
3.4.2 Physical Attractiveness
3.4.3 Service Expectations
3.4.4 Demographic Questions
3.5 Procedure
4 Results
5 Discussion
5.1 Marketing Implication
5.2 Limitations
5.3 Future Research
6 Conclusion
7 Bibliography
8 Appendices
Appendix A: Qualtrics Questionnaire
Appendix B: Descriptive Statistics
Appendix C: Test results H1
Appendix D: Factor Analysis
Appendix E: Test results H2
Appendix F: Test results H3
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This study aims to investigate the influence of self-perceived physical attractiveness on psychological entitlement and subsequent consumer expectations within service environments, testing whether entitlement acts as a mediating variable.
- Psychological Entitlement in consumer behavior
- Self-perception of physical attractiveness
- Service expectations and customer satisfaction
- Mediation analysis of personality traits on service evaluations
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2.1.2 Entitlement and Narcissism
Entitlement has long been equated with narcissism. Even today, there is much literature that makes no distinction between these two psychological constructs. Although there are clear differences, there are still overlaps (Campbell et al. 2004). Here, the terms Entitlement and narcissism are used interchangeably, and Entitlement is understood as a characteristic of narcissism. Campbell and his colleagues, however, took a decisive step towards clearly distinguishing between the two constructs with the 2004 study on measuring Psychological Entitlement. Within psychological diagnostics, narcissism is classified as a psychological disorder that can be measured on a scale. The NPI scale (Narcissistic Personality Inventory) examines the extent to which a patient exhibits the characteristics of pathological narcissism with 40 forced choice items (Raskin & Hall, 1979). This measurement tool is based on the idea that individuals who show pathological forms of narcissism exhibit extreme forms of the characteristics defined in the NPI, while healthy individuals show only minor manifestations. In his study, Campbell and colleagues focused on distinguishing Entitlement and its measurement from narcissism on the NPI scale.
A recent study by Rose and Anastasio (2014) deals with precisely this distinction between narcissism and Psychological Entitlement. The results of the study may once again underline the distinction made by Campbell's in 2004: Entitlement can be seen as a unique personality trait that has its own interpersonal consequences and differs fundamentally from narcissism in precisely this respect. One of the main differences between both constructs is symbolised by the role other people play within each of these: Narcissists feel superiority and self-assertiveness; they themselves play the leading role, while other people only occur marginally. Entitlement, however, by definition includes other people, as entitled people “deserve more than others”. Thus, social comparison plays an important role here, as other people are necessary to create the feeling of entitlement. Consequently, Entitlement and narcissism are closely related constructs and may have diverged, but Campbell's (2004) and Rose's and Anastasio's (2014) studies show that these are two different psychological concepts that require independent treatment. The forms in which entitlement can manifest itself will be discussed in the following chapter.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the concept of psychological entitlement in service contexts and outlines the study's goal to link physical attractiveness, entitlement, and consumer expectations.
2 Literature Review: Provides a theoretical overview of entitlement, narcissism, physical attractiveness, and consumer expectations, leading to the development of the study's hypotheses.
3 Methodology: Details the cross-sectional quantitative research design, the online survey process, and the specific scales used to measure entitlement, attractiveness, and expectations.
4 Results: Presents the statistical analysis of the collected data, confirming that attractiveness predicts entitlement and that entitlement mediates the relationship between attractiveness and empathy expectations.
5 Discussion: Analyzes the findings in the context of existing literature, discusses implications for marketing, and identifies limitations such as social desirability and online survey biases.
6 Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, affirming that entitlement is a relevant construct in everyday service interactions and that further research is required to explore its full complexity.
Keywords
Psychological Entitlement, Narcissism, Physical Attractiveness, Consumer Behavior, Service Expectations, SERVQUAL, Customer Satisfaction, Mediation Analysis, Social Comparison, Empathy, Reliability, Self-Perception, Marketing Implication, Personality Traits, Empirical Study.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this study?
The study examines the relationship between consumer psychological entitlement, self-perceived physical attractiveness, and the expectations customers have regarding services.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The research combines psychological concepts like entitlement and self-esteem with consumer research fields such as service quality and customer expectations.
What is the main research question?
The study seeks to determine the extent to which subjective attractiveness influences psychological entitlement and how entitlement mediates the relationship between attractiveness and service expectations.
What scientific method was applied?
The author conducted an empirical, cross-sectional quantitative study using an online survey with 248 participants, analyzed through bivariate and multiple regression models.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body covers the literature review on entitlement and attractiveness, the methodology for the quantitative survey, the statistical results, and a discussion of implications for service providers.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Psychological Entitlement, Physical Attractiveness, Consumer Expectations, Service Environments, and Mediation Analysis.
Why is the "Titanic" metaphor used in the questionnaire?
It is a standard item from the Psychological Entitlement Scale (PES) used to gauge a person's belief that they deserve special treatment or priority over others.
What role does empathy play in the results?
The study found that entitlement significantly influences expectations specifically regarding the empathy behavior of service personnel, rather than affecting expectations of service reliability.
How did social desirability influence the study?
The author suggests that participants may have provided socially desirable answers, which could explain the comparatively small effect sizes and low mean entitlement scores.
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- Eva Eschelbach (Autor:in), 2019, Psychological Entitlement, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/514261
