Nonconformism actively manifests itself in adolescence, when young people strive to show their individuality. Denial of generally accepted rules, constant contradictions with adults, arguments on any topic - all this is typical for young rebels.
In adult life there is also a place for inconsistency, rebellion, and the desire to differ from the “gray masses.” Nonconformism structures all this in psychology and other scientific disciplines. If you have long noticed that every time you contradict accepted norms, you are confident that you are right and are ready to fight for your truth, perhaps you are a real nonconformist.
Now let’s figure out what nonconformism is and how it manifests itself.
What is nonconformism
Nonconformism is a combination of rebellion, an active life position, and the desire for individualism. The individual to whom this concept applies denies generally accepted rules and norms, does not comply with requirements and tries to have his own opinion that contradicts the majority.
Most often, this feature manifests itself in the form of teenage nonconformism, when young boys and girls “revolt” against society and, first of all, their parents.
Speaking about what nonconformism is in simple words, we should emphasize the importance of disagreement in terms of this concept. That is, the individual prefers to disagree, to deny some norms and rules.
Nonconformism and conformism are opposite concepts. The latter means compliance, agreement with general rules, suggestibility and subordination.
Causes
A person is born with a set of natural qualities, which can be adjusted if desired or due to life circumstances. Traits characteristic of nonconformists may develop at a conscious age, or may accompany a person from birth.
When the desire to stand out and oppose oneself to society are acquired qualities, their formation is due to certain reasons. Such reasons may be:
- hidden or overt desire to control and dominate;
- a feeling of helplessness that creates a desire to become strong and be able to withstand any difficulties;
- the desire to preserve one’s individuality and resistance, if necessary, to “bend under” someone;
- no need to constantly confirm that you are right, since self-confidence is unshakable.
In other words, the start of nonconformist beliefs in most cases originates from a person’s personal qualities.
Signs
A fairly clear sign that a person is a nonconformist is his self-confidence in his own rightness. Moreover, an individual may not even know such a concept, but this does not deprive him of certain qualities, for example, the following:
- high, sometimes inflated self-esteem;
- insensitivity to external circumstances;
- demonstration of one’s opinion, contrary to the generally accepted one;
- the desire to be unique;
- desire to assert oneself;
- desire to dominate;
- having your own opinion on any matter;
- independence.
Nonconformity is considered in many disciplines, including philosophy and psychology. This is an isolated movement, whose adherents strive to stand out from the crowd with their atypicality and uniqueness.
Solomon Asch's experiment
The problem of conformity was raised in the 50s of the 20th century by the American psychologist Solomon Asch, conducting one of the most high-profile experiments in social psychology.
*Asch's experiment: find two identical segments.
A group of volunteers gathered, among whom all but one person were in cahoots with Asch. Participants were shown two cards: one showed a standard segment, and the other showed three segments of different lengths. It was necessary to determine which of the three segments corresponds to the standard.
The answer is obvious when you are alone in front of the monitor. Miracles begin when everyone around unanimously gives the wrong answer.
We will not delve into the algorithm of the experiment, but its results are amazing: 75% of unsuspecting subjects at least once, not believing their eyes, repeated the incorrect answer of the majority.
And 32% betrayed themselves again and again, each time giving the wrong segments. Moreover, throwing began when there were more than three participants in the group.
Solomon Asch's experiments revealed two causes of conformity :
- A person does not want to go against public opinion;
- A person believes that the majority is better informed than he is.
Three factors influence conformal behavior
- Social support - if at least one more person from the group disagrees with the opinion of the majority, the indicators of conformity fall.
- Emotional connection with the group - the more attractive the group is to a person, the more willingly he adapts to it, sincerely sharing the ideas of the majority.
- Group size - the larger the crowd, the higher the likelihood that a person will show himself to be a conformist.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let's look at the pros and cons of nonconformism. The phenomenon itself does not bring anything bad, but if a person decides to go to extremes, things can end in tears. So, the cons:
- excessive desire to stand out, using methods that can harm others;
- adherence to a contradictory opinion out of a desire to rebel, and not out of sincere support for it;
- propaganda of destructive rules out of a desire to prove one’s power of persuasion;
- self-affirmation at the expense of those who are weaker.
There are also advantages, since nonconformism is a multifaceted concept. Advantages:
- introduction of new technologies, knowledge, skills that contradict generally accepted ones, but surpass them in their effectiveness;
- adequate individualism, creating a unique personality with interesting and unusual views on familiar events and things;
- development of critical thinking and constant analysis of information coming from outside.
The achievements of nonconformism are formed precisely from its positive manifestations. If an individual strives to defend his own position and deny everything common, his opinion should be based on real facts, so as not to bring destructive energy to the masses.
Conformity is...
Conformism (from the Latin conformis - similar, conformable ) is a concept related to ethical standards, social psychology and political views of a person. The closest synonym is opportunism .
In the most general sense, conformism is a correction of behavior or worldview under the influence of someone else’s opinion.
A conformist passively goes with the flow , agrees with the party's policies and does not have his own point of view on what is happening. Or rather, he has, but this point of view is poured into his ears by propaganda, friends, authoritative people, traditions.
There is another type of conformism, when a person is forced to submit to the opinion of the majority, pushing his beliefs deeper. Such formal agreement leads to intrapersonal conflict.
Conformity is also submission to the herd instinct.
The mechanism of conformal behavior is familiar to each of us - remember how we all cross the road at a red light if other pedestrians have already walked, ignoring the prohibiting signal.
*Life-threatening manifestation of conformity
Examples of nonconformism
Nonconformity is part of history. The existence of humanity has always been replete with individuals who questioned generally accepted truths. For example, the world-famous Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno. The scientist denied existing theories of the world order and proposed his own works, which were received negatively by society. The sad end of a philosopher is burning at the stake for heresy.
The equally famous “witch hunt,” which occurred in many cultures at different times, is more likely to refer to conformity. Society has been taught that, for example, beautiful women with red hair are absolutely witches. The led people believed in similar truths for decades and centuries, just so as not to bother themselves with research and analysis of their horrific actions.
Nonconformism is easier to understand through examples. Another common manifestation is stubbornness and rebellion in children and adolescents. And if everything is clear with little people, since they explore the world and constantly check what is possible and what is not, then with teenagers the situation is different. It seems that every second teenager is an ardent nonconformist.
Most often, young representatives of society strive to contradict and defend their own principles not so much for the sake of such principles themselves, but for the sake of disagreement itself. For example, parents require you to put things in a closet and keep order. The desire to step back and “revolt” pushes the teenager into an obvious contradiction - he will not put things in the closet, but will carelessly throw them on a chair, on the floor, on the bed. In general, anywhere except the closet.
Think about yourself when you think about resistance. Examples of nonconformism in your life will definitely come up, even if not directly related to you. Any examples will give a complete picture of the understanding of what the content of the concept of “nonconformism” is.
Outcasts or just special?
Nonconformism... In psychology, this also means a protest reaction to life. “So as not to be like everyone else” - this is how some supporters of this point of view often think. In fact, both conformists and non-conformists all think the same way. Why? Because some people think like everyone else (the first), and the rest think inside out, on the contrary (the second).
What is behavioral negativism? Perhaps in the mind of a nonconformist. He becomes this way on purpose, with the goal of being and being considered different from others. It often happens that such people become outcasts from society. Which group would like the fact that they were joined by a person who denies everything they adhere to? But there are also those who do not behave this way on purpose. These are really their independent conclusions. They really think differently. They have completely different values, and they sincerely do not share other, more common ones. You could say that such people have their own world.
How to become a nonconformist
The question of what unites the concepts of conformism and nonconformism is quite simple. Both phenomena are based on social pressure. In the first case, a person bends under the weight of generally accepted norms, in the second, he resists and “revolts” against everyone. The phenomenon of nonconformism interests those who are ready to fight with society and defend their opinion.
The desire for constant analysis of events and information, the denial of rules and norms, and the creation of one’s own picture of the world is based on critical thinking. It can be developed, but for this you must clearly understand what nonconformism means.
You can follow his principles at certain periods of your life, or you can remain a nonconformist for life. This is similar to following certain truths in all circumstances. If you decide to argue that an orange is not orange but blue, you will have to constantly remember this. Simply put, it is easy to become a nonconformist when the impulse comes from the heart, if you will. You really have to believe in what you are broadcasting and standing for, and then everything will fall into place.
One against all
In simpler terms, nonconformism is choosing your own path, rather than following the one put forward by society. Such people do not accept what the crowd dictates. And there are actually a lot of examples of such personalities - they can be cited from the spheres of science, art, politics, culture, and simply from public life. For example, the same Giordano Bruno, rejected by society, was a nonconformist. Why? Yes, because he, like Galileo Galilei, was ahead of his time in his discoveries. Society did not accept this; it rejected both one and the other scientist.
