Psychological Entitlement and Violent Behavior in Urban Youth

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Violence researchers have observed that one robust risk factor for violent behavior is psychological entitlement (PE), a component of narcissistic personality. Studies thus indicate that aggressive and violent individuals tend to believe that they are more deserving than are others of special treatment and good outcomes in life (Campbell et al., 2004). Research on PE in children and adolescents has been limited in comparison to the larger literature on PE in adults. This study examined relations between PE and a variety of risk factors and outcomes relating to violent behavior in a sample of 200 youth (56% female, 90% nonwhite) enrolled in the 10th grade of a public school district in a medium-sized northeastern city. Youth were grouped by high or low scores on the Psychological Entitlement Scale (Campbell et al., 2004). Youth high in PE reported more aggressive (p < .001, d = .87) and violent behavior (p <.01, w = .35), including greater aggression toward romantic partners (p < .001, d = 1.04), and more exposure to violence (p < .01, d = .78) and victimization (p < .05, d = .56) in their neighborhoods. Results have implications for understanding the development of violent behavior among urban youth.

Authors

• Jennifer Irving, Rutgers University

• Sheila Solano, Rutgers University

• Paul Boxer, Rutgers University

• Sekinat Kuku, Rutgers University

• Catruicha Muscadin, Rutgers University

• Yalitza Nieves, Rutgers University

• Rushabh Shah, Rutgers University

• L. Rowell Huesmann, The University of Michigan

• Eric F Dubow, Bowling Green State University