The Entitlement Cure by Dr. John Townsend

The co-author of “Boundaries” writes now about, essentially, how to establish boundaries with those with an attitude of entitlement, which Townsend defines as “the belief that I am exempt from responsibility and I am owed special treatment.” Townsend maintains that we all, to a greater or lesser extent, struggle with this attitude, at least from time to time. The author carefully lays out a plan for addressing and even solving the problem of entitlement, beginning with a compassionate, relational approach that considers what is best for the person. He encourages us to examine the causes and effects of an attitude of entitlement in others and ourselves. He moves into the process of evaluating motivations to address the problem and then into the change in thought processes that can bring real change. Lastly, Townsend talks about the behavioral changes, such as admitting wrong, facing pain, and taking risks, that lead to fully accepting responsibility and will unhook a person from thinking they deserve special treatment. There are some biblical references and illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, but the book is more practical than theoretical. This was an excellent work and, in reality, another extension of boundary setting and boundary keeping. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze program.