Strategies for treating the entitlement schema

What is the Entitlement Schema?

The Entitlement Schema is one of 18 maladaptive schemas identified by Jeffrey Young. The Entitlement Trap causes people to believe that they are special and superior to others. People with the Entitlement Schema unhealthyly believe that they are special. People with the Entitlement Schema believe that they are much better than other people and feel that they should have special rights and privileges. People with the Entitlement Trap are indifferent to the needs and desires of others and consider themselves entitled to dominate in relationships. People with the Entitlement Schema tend to control people in daily relationships. The Entitlement Schema causes people with this schema to have very poor empathy.

People with the Entitlement Schema can be very domineering and controlling in interpersonal relationships. Other behaviors of people with the Entitlement Schema include: intense competitiveness, selfish behavior, ignoring rules, and imposing their opinions on others.  People with the grand secretary schema can sometimes be very charismatic, and in this way they can bring controllable and dependent people under their influence.

Entitlement Schema Coping Styles

People with an entitlement schema may choose different behavioral methods to cope with and deal with an entitlement schema. Entitlement schema coping styles include:

Avoidance: In the avoidance coping style, a person with an entitlement schema avoids people or environments that may question their behaviors. They may also avoid being around people they feel are better than them.

Overcompensation: People with an overcompensation coping style behave in a way that is opposite to the typical behaviors in an entitlement schema. Instead of being demanding and considering themselves superior, these people behave very submissively and humbly.

Submission: People with a grandiose or entitlement schema in a submission coping style consider themselves completely deserving of attention and special opportunities. These people are indifferent to others and do not value them.

Entitlement Schema Treatment

Entitlement schema treatment is done using psychotherapy. The main type of psychotherapy for an entitlement schema is schema therapy.  People can refer to a good psychologist to identify, diagnose, and treat their maladaptive schemas, including the entitlement or grandiose schema. A psychologist can help treat the grandiose schema by examining the life history and its events, as well as the symptoms of the entitlement schema.

Schema therapy: In the treatment of the entitlement schema, maladaptive schemas are corrected and replaced in a healthier way by examining the way people relate to their environment and important people in their lives, especially parents. Common methods and techniques in treating the grandiose schema using schema therapy include the following:

Cognitive restructuring to correct thoughts and beliefs

Imagery or role-playing to recall events and correct them

Emotional imagery to examine unhealthy emotions and feelings

Reparenting to meet unmet needs and desires

Getting Rid of the Entitlement Schema

In addition to the main treatment for the entitlement schema, namely schema therapy, the following strategies can be useful and efficient in dealing with the grand secretary schema. Ways to get rid of the entitlement schema include:

Identifying the entitlement schema in oneself and believing that it is problematic

Understanding that no one is superior to another

Increasing the ability to tolerate hearing negative responses to requests

Increasing the power of empathy and mutual understanding of others

Challenging thoughts about uniqueness

Increasing respect and valuing others

Reducing the destruction of others to achieve one's goals

Considering the rights and privileges of other people