Mentoring and Protégé Narcissistic Entitlement

The relationship between protégé narcissistic entitlement and protégé mentoring outcomes is examined among a total sample of 132 protége´s employed in a variety of settings. Narcissistic entitlement (NE) refers to a dispositional variable that reflects preoccupation with the expectation of special and preferential treatment from others. Results indicate that protége´s with greater NE report relationships of shorter duration, less career mentoring support, lower relationship quality, and greater negative mentoring experiences than do protége´s with lesser NE. Additionally, protégé NE moderated the relationship between mentor commitment and relationship quality such that the relationship was stronger for protége´s higher in NE than for protége´s lower in NE. NE was not related to whether participants had experience as a protégé. Implications include the need for expanded education regarding mentoring relationships that take into account the role the individual plays in the relationship