If there is something that has struck me as odd since moving to the Philippines it is how many people insist on being dropped off at the door, whether it be the mall, restaurant, or some other establishment. From my experience in the United States, along with witnessing similar situations in other countries, outside of those with physical disabilities, individuals accompanied by babies in strollers, or the elderly, have yet to see another situation where so many people refuse to walk from their vehicle and feel the need to be dropped off right at the door. It’s weird.
For the average, able-bodied individual, when visiting an establishment with a parking area, the typical process is driving around the parking lot to find a spot, once finding a space, parking the vehicle, exiting, and walking to the intended destination.
It’s hard to determine what the mindset is of those who choose not to take that short walk from the car. Clearly, it’s not a widespread phenomenon because nobody has done a study on such individuals. If one is not yet a senior citizen and unable to use their legs and feet normally without pain, there doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for the necessity of being dropped off.
I penned an article about this topic a couple years ago—“Why do locals demand door-to-door service for the most mundane things?”—but the issue arose anew after an encounter at Robinsons Place Bacolod over the weekend. A taxi was dropping off a customer and the van directly behind was not moving, which was creating a long line of vehicles. After a few honks of the horn, the security guard on duty waved the van through but, instead of proceeding ahead, they stopped in the middle of the driveway—completely obstructing the flow of traffic—and the occupants slowly exited the vehicle. All of the vehicle occupants were able to walk normally and both the security guard and driver asserted themselves and affirmed they were dropping people off. OK, but why is it necessary?

“Doña complex”
In the 2017 piece I previously wrote, I questioned if it was a matter of overcompensating, trying to make themselves seem “superior” to those around them—the “commoners” who have to walk to the mall while they are dropped off.
In the earlier article, I cited marketing professor at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, Raj Raghunathan Ph.D., who explained in a 2015 article that individuals who are so caught up in their desire for superiority are often ignorant of the things going on around them.
“When you focus on coming out on top, you can’t focus as well on the task at hand, thereby worsening your performance,” he said.
Raghunathan also discussed the overall lack of happiness when someone is solely focused on putting on this pretense of superiority.
He said the attitude “fosters the tendency to engage in social comparisons.”
The article also pointed out: Raghunathan also said the behavior, many times, leads to materialism, noting, “Materialistic people are not happy.”
The piece also took note of work by University of Notre Dame psychology professor, Anita E. Kelly Ph.D., who said, “People who act superior may be masking some inadequacy.”
In a 2010 article, she discussed how maltreatment or neglect in childhood may lead to a superiority complex in adulthood, as a way of shielding their past.
“Maltreated or neglected children might say that they are great, but these memory and mirror tasks uncover a sense of self that falls far short of greatness,” she explained.
As noted earlier, aside from the elderly or physically disabled, there is no logical purpose of being dropped off unless it’s an attitude issue.
Something that proves the “superiority complex” theory even more is—as exhibited with the van—they never try to accommodate for others and are more than willing to block the road as their occupants leisurely go on their way. Reiterating what Raghunathan said, “Individuals who are so caught up in their desire for superiority are often ignorant of the things going on around them.” The van driver, in particular, even yelled from his seat to respond to the honking behind him; in essence, asserting that his “right” to obstruct traffic trumps others’ desire to get on with their day. Clearly, the assumed “superiority” spans across all strata—it’s not just their boss, but the driver as well.
On another occasion, outside SM City Bacolod, did witness an individual with a physical handicap being dropped off and they pulled over as much as possible in order to allow for vehicles to pass easily. A significant difference between those who require being dropped off because of a disability and those who choose to do so out of arrogance (and laziness)./WDJ