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Paper Title

Too Proud to Let Go: Narcissistic Entitlement as a Barrier to Forgiveness

Keywords

  • Narcissistic Entitlement
  • Forgiveness
  • Unforgiveness
  • Narcissism
  • Special Treatment
  • Repayment Expectations
  • Offense Severity
  • Relationship Closeness
  • Big Five Personality
  • Apology
  • Forgiveness Dispositions
  • Psychological Predictors
  • Entitlement and Forgiveness
  • Unforgiving Behavior
  • Personality Factors
  • Forgiveness Over Time

Article Type

Research Article

Research Impact Tools

Issue

Volume : 87 | Issue : 6 | Page No : 894–912

Published On

December, 2004

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Abstract

Narcissistic entitlement impedes forgiveness in ways not captured by other robust predictors (e.g., offense severity, apology, relationship closeness, religiosity, Big Five personality factors), as demonstrated in 6 studies. Narcissistic entitlement involves expectations of special treatment and preoccupation with defending one's rights. In Study 1, entitlement predicted less forgiveness and greater insistence on repayment for a past offense. Complementary results emerged from Study 2, which used hypothetical transgressions, and Study 3, which assessed broad forgiveness dispositions. Study 4 examined associations with the Big Five, and Study 5 extended the findings to a laboratory context. Study 6 demonstrated that entitlement predicted diminished increases in forgiveness over time. Taken together, these results suggest that narcissistic entitlement is a robust, distinct predictor of unforgiveness.

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