Entitlement can often be seen in friendships and family dynamics. Entitlement is a form of covert emotional abuse, and it can lead to some significant issues.
This study revealed that both inflated and restricted forms of entitlement were linked to mental distress, such as anxiety and depression. This finding is in line with other research on maladaptive expressions of relational entitlement.
Sense of Belonging
Feelings of belonging are a fundamental aspect of human desire for close interpersonal connections and the need to be appreciated, supported, and connected by others. In adolescence, feelings of belonging to school, peers and neighborhood play an integral role in adolescents’ psychosocial wellbeing (King & Boyd, 2016; King & Boyd, 2014).
Divorced families can often experience family dynamics that negatively affect adolescents’ sense of belonging. Therefore, an improved comprehension of how belonging and adjustment relate could contribute to improving adolescents’ well-being in these households.
We conducted a self-report questionnaire study to investigate adolescents’ perceptions of family, school, peer and neighborhood belonging. A total of 969 adolescents from various schools throughout the Netherlands completed the surveys.
Sense of Worth
A sense of worth is essential in relationships. People with a healthy sense of self-worth feel confident in their abilities and can cope with whatever life throws at them.
A sense of worth also plays a significant role in how individuals respond to situations that have hurt them. If someone experiences treatment from family members, they may assign blame and use the experience as evidence of their low self-worth.
A person’s sense of worth can be affected by a number of factors, including gender, education level and country-level variables (e.g., GDP, power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance). Multilevel analyses revealed that women and those with higher educational levels as well as those living in countries with lower inequality rates and high indulgence placed greater value on friendships.
Sense of Independence
The sense of independence is an integral component of human development and emotional health. It plays a major role in maintaining healthy family dynamics as well.
A sense of independence is the capacity to carry out tasks and make decisions for ourselves without needing permission from others. This is an essential aspect of development, as it allows us to feel in control and secure about our choices.
Gaining independence can be challenging. When you feel isolated or uncertain about yourself, it is wise to reach out for support – particularly if you have experienced early trauma or are dealing with mental health issues.
Sense of Dependence
People with a high sense of dependency are more likely to experience unhealthy family dynamics. They may have been subjected to abuse and neglect as children and are carrying these issues into adulthood.
Therefore, they can be pressured into doing things for others that are detrimental to themselves. They might be encouraged to indulge in alcohol or drug abuse, or face abuse from other family members.
Codependency occurs when individuals do not value themselves and need others to validate their feelings, interests, beliefs and worth. This type of Dependent Personal Disorder (DPD) can have negative consequences on both physical and mental health – including addiction – and is often connected with dysfunctional families.
Sense of Judgment
Judging is the mental capacity to comprehend something and form an opinion or decision. It’s a fundamental element of human psychology.
However, it’s essential to remember that a judgment does not represent an objective truth; rather, it can be an approximation of reality based on the judge’s beliefs and values.
A tentative judgment is one that is based on the judge’s perception of available information and evolves over time.
Therefore, people often make moral judgments when assessing whether certain behaviors conform to their relationship norms and boundaries. A better comprehension of this aspect of social life will enable us to better predict personal and dyadic outcomes (e.g., partner motivations/decisions, emotional processes) as well as relationships’ overall success/failure rates.
Sense of Affection
Affection is an intense emotional feeling that can be expressed through physical touch, social interaction, or even understanding someone’s sentiments.
Research has demonstrated that people with higher levels of affection tend to demonstrate greater kindness and compassion, are more forgiving, and express more love toward others. Affection may even help reduce stress caused by conflict.
Affection is especially crucial in relationships. It conveys your love and devotion for them, regardless of what comes their way. Furthermore, it helps build stronger bonds with your significant other or spouse so that you feel secure in their affection for you.
Sense of Instrumentality
The sense of instrumentality is a tendency to seek out outcomes that are external to the behavior being performed. While this can be beneficial, there are times when this sense of instrumentality takes over and voluntary acts become obligatory. For instance, if you live in an apartment and your friend owns both washer and dryer units, using friendship as leverage might enable you to get them to do your laundry for you – but be wary if this becomes an obligation instead of an option in the relationship.
Instrumentality can also negatively impact our capacity to learn from others, especially during moments of crisis and conflict. Nelissen (2014) observed that those who feel they must reach a specific goal tend to feel guilty when they offend their partner because they believe their goals are more important than other people’s.
Sense of Expressiveness
Emotional expressiveness is a crucial trait that allows us to express our emotions, thoughts, and intentions to others. Having this ability is invaluable in daily life as it allows people to form deeper connections with those around them and foster stronger bonds.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago observed that individuals who demonstrated high levels of expressiveness were more likely to form and maintain close friendships. People with expressiveness tend to value their relationships and desire to build friendships. Furthermore, expressiveness has been associated with greater levels of empathy and generosity. This study revealed that adults who had experienced traumatic events in their past tended to express more emotion. Expressiveness also appeared to be connected with higher communication competence, an important trait for developing and maintaining healthy relationships. Taken together, these results offer new insights into the significance of interpersonal emotion in friendships and family dynamics.
