Testing the concept of relational entitlement in the dyadic context: Further validation and associations with relationship satisfaction.

Abstract

The sense of relational entitlement is the perception one has of what one deserves from one's partner, and it may play a crucial role in determining the quality of a couple's relationship. However, the concept was only recently subjected to empirical examination. The main goals of the current study were to continue the work initiated by the scale developers (Tolmacz & Mikulincer, 2011) by (1) further validating the Sense of Relational Entitlement Scale (SRE) in a sample of adult couples; and (2) examining the contribution of each partner's sense of relational entitlement to his or her own and his or her partner's relationship satisfaction. A sample of 120 Israeli, heterosexual, older couples (age = 58 years) in long-term relationships completed the study measurements. Factor analyses revealed that the SRE scale consisted of two major dimensions: conflicted entitlement and assertive entitlement. Applying an Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model (APIM) analysis indicated that the more conflicted one felt with regard to what one was entitled to, the less satisfaction one felt with the relationship. Additionally, the higher one's entitlement expectations were of one's partner (a subfactor of the assertive entitlement dimension), the more one's partner was satisfied with the relationship. The sense of entitlement construct seems to be relevant to the context of dyadic relationships and, as such, is worthy of further attention and investigation.

Attachment, Sense of Entitlement in Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Revictimization Among Adult CSA Survivors

“…It seems intuitive that CSA survivors should be reluctant to express their needs and wishes in romantic relationships and to doubt their basic legitimacy, as reflected by their high levels of restricted SRE. Previous studies have shown a restricted sense of entitlement to be associated with high levels of distress and loneliness, negative mood, neuroticism, depression, and social anxiety, and with low levels of relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction (George-Levi, Vilchinsky, Tolmacz, & Liberman, 2014; Tolmacz & Mikulincer, 2011), self-efficacy, and low self-esteem (Tolmacz, Efrati, & Ben-David, 2016).…”

Refining the Assessment of Entitlement in Romantic Relationships: The Sense of Relational Entitlement Scale—Revised (SRE-R)

“…In further validation of the SRE by George-Levi et al (2014) , the intercorrelations between “assertive entitlement” and “entitlement expectations” (one of the factors that in the original study (2011) seemed to tap different aspects of inflated forms of entitlement) were found to be significant and positive. The authors suggested that these two factors representing a more secure, mature, healthy, or assertive sense of entitlement and suggested that the entitlement expectations items should not be included in the inflated factor.…”

“…We administered the SRE-R to a large community sample of adults in significant romantic relationships and aimed to validate its two-factor structure (inflated entitlement, restricted entitlement). We also aimed to replicate associations found in previous studies (that used the 33-item SRE scale) between sense of relational entitlement and other relational variables, such as attachment orientations and pathological concern (e.g., Tolmacz and Mikulincer, 2011 ; George-Levi et al, 2014 ; Shavit and Tolmacz, 2014 ). In addition, we aimed to examine associations between the two SRE-R factors, relational obsessions/compulsions and authenticity in romantic relationships.…”

“…They seem to doubt their right to express genuine wishes and needs. Research has shown associations between both styles of imbalanced sense of entitlement (restricted and inflated) and attachment insecurities, emotional difficulties, low levels of well-being, dissatisfaction with romantic relationships ( Tolmacz and Mikulincer, 2011 ; George-Levi et al, 2014 ; Gerber et al, 2015 ) and pathological concern, a relational attitude characterized by repression and denial of self-related needs and overinvestment in satisfying others’ needs.…”

Adesão aos mitos da conjugalidade por homens e mulheres: associações com qualidade e conflito conjugal

“…Embora a maioria dos estudos evidencie que a adesão a mitos conjugais pode comprometer a qualidade do relacionamento (Caldwell & Woolley, 2008;Ercegovac & Bubić, 2016;Fowler, 2000), um estudo americano feito com mulheres indica que ela pode predizer experiências conjugais positivas (Casad, Salazar, & Macina, 2015 (Neff & Geers, 2013). Na mesma direção, pesquisa realizada com 120 casais heterossexuais israelenses em casamentos de longa duração demonstrou que ter expectativas apropriadas a respeito dos deveres do parceiro(a) para consigo se relaciona com bons níveis de satisfação conjugal, já que as expectativas também têm como papel indicar o tipo de investimento feito no relacionamento (George-Levi, Vilchinsky, Tolmacz, & Liberman, 2014).…”