104 Times Someone Was Being Such A Jerk, People Had To Shame Them Online (New Pics)

An entitled person believes they deserve special treatment and privileges when compared to other people around them.

To understand what exactly makes them behave this way, Bored Panda spoke to Kirsty Sedgman, an award-winning cultural studies scholar and professor at University of Bristol.

“Over the past few years, we undeniably have seen a general shift in normalised public behavior, with social life becoming pervaded by a kind of ‘Main Character Energy’ — which is where we're increasingly incentivised to think about what's best for us as individuals rather than about what's good for us as a community,” she says.

Author of On Being Unreasonable, a book that talks about manners in the public space, Sedgman believes entitlement also starts when people see those in power break the rules and not just get away with it but actively benefit.

“Being a good person starts to seem like a mug's game – because if everybody else is going to act in their own self-interest then why shouldn't we?”

“And that's how we end up with people coming into public spaces saying ‘I paid for this experience; I’ll do what I want’ — whether that means getting drunk at a musical and singing along, or watching videos on a train without headphones, or reclining seats on an airplane without checking with the person behind,” she adds.

Some mental health conditions, such as narcissistic personality disorders, can also make people feel that they are superior.

“Narcissistic behavior often shows up as a disregard for others’ time, space, or feelings. Like cutting in line, demanding special treatment, or reacting aggressively to boundaries. It’s marked by an inflated sense of importance and a lack of empathy,” Tracy Malone, founder of Narcissist Abuse Support, tells Bored Panda.

She adds: “Narcissistic individuals often view themselves as superior, justifying their disregard for norms as their ‘right.’”

Studies show that people who had a higher socioeconomic status since childhood are more likely to feel entitled.

It’s no wonder that when we hear the word entitlement, we picture celebrities flying private jets, completely ignoring the planet, while the rest of us fight a losing battle trying to separate our plastics from paper.

People who were raised by overprotective or overly coddling parents can turn into adults who are unable to take no for an answer. They may expect the world to cater to their every need.

For example, parents buying the newest gadgets, toys or clothes as soon as the kid demands them, or letting kids throw a tantrum in a public place to get their way — this kind of upbringing can turn children into adults who have a hard time dealing with disappointment.

“Learning to tolerate frustration is the key to avoiding raising entitled kids,” Good Inside parenting expert Dr Becky Kennedy says in a video.

Clinical psychologist and author Dr Amy Marschall, Psy.D., believes that sometimes behavior that seems “bad” in public is actually the result of neurodivergence.

“This behavior can seem strange or concerning, like if an autistic person has a meltdown, which is not ‘bad behavior’ but a response to sensory overwhelm,” she tells Bored Panda.

At the same time, she says neurodivergence is never an excuse for cruelty.

“Poor behavior can also come from entitlement or misplaced anger… If someone's behavior is harmful, dangerous, bigoted, etc., calling it out directly can make the person hesitate to act that way in public again,” she adds.

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” This quote from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book is a nice little trick to spot an entitled person in a public space.

Entitlement tends to show itself in moments where there’s a power imbalance. If you’ve ever seen someone snap at a waiter for the wrong order, or treating the flight attendant as their personal staff, that’s your clue that basic manners just took a back seat.

Lack of empathy, difficulty accepting criticism, impatience and lack of accountability (blaming others for their mistakes), are some of the other not-so-subtle signs to look for, according to experts.