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Article 1# Entitlements and Dependency
Effects of planned and required social dependency on aging:
Articles prepared for ELF by:
John G. Cull, PhD

• Article 1#Entitlement Programs and Depression
• Article 2#Entitlements and Our Sense of Control (Anxiety)
• Article 3#Entitlements and Hostility
• Article 4#Entitlement Programs and Healthy Emotional Adjustment

Entitlement Programs and Depression

It is great to get a gift. We all enjoy the presents we get for birthdays, father's day, mother's day, Christmas, etc. Presents make us feel good and make us feel recognized, cared for and loved. What happens if we get a present for no apparent reason? What happens if we get a present of money? What happens if that present of money is given to us regularly for no apparent reason? Are we happy? Do we feel recognized? Loved? Respected? No. Interestingly, if we begin getting a gift regularly, such as a monthly check we might be glad in the beginning, but after a short period of time that unearned gift has very predictable and negative effects on us.

In the beginning we are glad we are getting money regularly. The money takes care of our short term problems. It helps us get out of immediate dilemmas. But as time goes by we become resentful, angry, and depressed. But how in the world can something as great as an unearned monthly check bring about depression? And anger? Why would an entitlement create a cloud over our head?

Many of the things which happen to us or that we do, say, or hear either builds our self concept or erodes our self concept. We continually are building or reinforcing our self concept or we are reacting to forces which tear down or erode our self concept. In clinical terms we say these events, thoughts, or statements are either ego syntonic (building) or ego dystonic (eroding). If we get gifts we do not earn we enjoy them but become dependent upon them. Through this dependency we become needy. We begin to expect them, rely on them, and need them. We begin to count on receiving them. As the money increases in psychological value we begin to devalue ourselves. People do not feel good about themselves if they are receiving an unearned, regular gift - regardless of the source of the gift. So as great as getting a gift might be, we begin to devalue ourselves if we get these unearned gifts regularly. The gifts become ego dystonic. They erode our self concept, our self-esteem.

The cause of depression lies in our evaluation of our self. If, in a very private assessment of myself, I believe I am living up to or exceeding my basic expectation of myself I will be ebullient, cheerful, energized, gay, happy, outgoing. However, if in this private assessment of myself, I feel I am not living up to my basic expectation of myself, my self concept is lowered, I will feel blue, down, sad, depressed. The greater the deficit between my expectation of myself and my private assessment of my self the greater will be the depth of my depress. While it is great to get gifts, I believe you can see how these unearned entitlements or gifts can lead to depression.

In our society many of our leaders have mistakenly believed that those less fortunate than the rest of us need to be awarded entitlements in order to "level the playing field." In attempting to help those less fortunate cope better and feel better in our society, without thinking through their actions, these socialistically oriented leaders have condemned the group they want to help to positions of incapacity and depression. For when a person receives rewards without striving to earn them, he becomes depressed. Perhaps the most stark example of the effects of governmental entitlements on a group of people is demonstrated in our Native American population living on reservations in the western states.

I find it interesting that those who want to help the less fortunate have taken actions most detrimental to these persons. Rather than giving entitlements, the finest gift we can give the less fortunate is to equate their thriving with their level of striving. Rewards based upon actual productivity is the most effective builder of self-esteem. This mechanism of equating rewards with efforts is the most effective and humane leveler of the playing field.