Individuality is the idea that each person is unique is his or her own way, meaning no one person is alike. To have individually means to have your own ideas, your own style, and your own personality. In life, individuality is needed in order to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We need to express our uniqueness and learn to not be afraid to be who we are. In the novel Divergent written by Veronica Roth, your choice of faction defines who you are. Throughout the novel, the main character Tris and the rest of the citizens in their society are being taught, trained and convinced they must act and be a certain way once they choose a faction. All uniqueness must be hidden away. All forms of individualism are unheard of and are not …show more content…
Society expects us to define ourselves at such a very young age and if we did not do so, someone else did it for us. Young teenagers even some adults are being told who they are and who they must be. We must be who the society deems to be “correct” because thinking too far out of the box results in being criticized for being too “different”. In the novel, the choosing ceremony determines their fate. The community is faced with a choice to determine which way of life they must live in for the rest of their lives. “Therefore this day marks a happy occasion the day on which we receive our new identities, who will work with us towards a better society and a better world” (Roth 44). The choosing ceremony “I open my eyes and for the first time staring openly at my own reflection. My heart rate picks up as I do like I am breaking the rules and will be scolded for it. It will be difficult to break the habits of thinking Abnegation instilled in me, like tugging a single thread from a complex work of embroidery. But I will find new habits, new thoughts, new rules. I will become something else” (Roth …show more content…
She believes in the Hobbes theory taught in class which is People cannot be trusted to govern themselves. An absolute monarch would demand obedience to maintain order. Janine and the rest of the higher power believe that their society must follow their strict orders, in order to control the way their citizens live, think and act in their society "Currently, the factionless are a drain on our resources," Jeanine replies. "As is Abnegation. I am sure that once the remains of your old faction are absorbed into the Dauntless army, Candor will cooperate and we will finally be able to get on with things." (Roth 429) In this novel the entire faction
Our lives are defined by our experiences of growing up and of who people are when people are developing. Both, in their respective regards, are something that can be difficult to alter to the individual. Gender, race, classes, and other building blocks of our identity are always shifting to who anyone is and while a person can’t affect themselves, society can, and often does change their perspective towards their own identity and how they interact with the stimulation outside of their psyche.
Individualism regards man—every man—as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among men, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights—and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members.
Based on “Freedom and Individuality”, Simmel largely perceives a positive relationship between the size or growth of society and individualism to function, but proposes that the size of the society alone does not solely determine levels of individuality. He promptly delivers his thesis, saying “the larger circle encourages individual freedom, the smaller one restricts it.” (Simmel in Calhoun 2012: 376) Simmel then goes on to describe the role of individuality within society, discussing positive aspects such as freedom and fluidity, and potentially negative aspects such as the “negative freedom of no differentiation” and loss of collective consciousness/identity. As the group grows and expands, collective identity is weakened and the original pressure to conform is relieved (to an extent), allowing for a greater opportunity for individualism to thrive in an increasingly flexible environment, at the expense of certain aspects of common culture and identity. Simmel also reflects on the difficulties associated with individualism for the individual, such as increasing difficulty trying to establish and exude one’s own unique personality within such an individualistic and flexible environment. Toward
Biological influences combined with societal and social expectations contribute to how well people learn to adapt to their environments (2013). According to Erikson, there are eight stages of development. Within these states, there are different psychological, emotional and cognitive tasks. In order to adjust, individuals must learn to develop these tasks. During adolescence, Erikson states that each person needs to navigate through the development task of ‘‘Identity vs. Identity confusion ’’ (2013). He defined this task by stating that adolescent children must learn to develop a sense of self and establish independence. Prior to this stage of development, a person’s parents largely influence their identity. In this stage the adolescent children begin to explore and develop their identity outside of their parents’ influence (Hill, Bromell, Tyson, & Flint, 2007). Adolescents are generally more egocentric at this stage and have an increased sense of self-consciousness. They also have a strong desire to conform to peer influence and develop concerns regarding their appearance. They develop concern about their level of competence in relation to their peer group as well. As peer influence increases, during this stage, parental influence decreases (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013; Hill et. al, 2007). Conflict generally increases between parent and child at this stage of development (2007).
Mark Twain writes this essay in order to shed light onto his belief that people’s thoughts and actions are influenced by those around them. His belief that people conform to the rest of society fuels his essay. This can be seen when Twain includes his idea that “It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist” (718). Twain shows that people are beginning to conform without using their own minds to process their decision.
The author of Divergent ,Veronica Roth, analyzes as to why people act and thinks the way they do and to why they defy the system. She uses the psychological aspects of behavior genetics, neuroscience, and social cultural. The norms are what allow societies to thrive, without the norms society would go into chaos as no one would be able to be kept in line. Divergent follows the life of a young girl who is faced with the choice to decide in which faction to spend the rest of her days. Unlike her peers and fellow city, she is not in the norm she can not be just one personal trait nor could she be manipulated through simulations. In this utopian society everyone is classified into five factions based on mental state; However, Beatrice Prior’s mental state can not be classified into just one faction as her brain structure and genetics are not damaged, like the vast majority of the city.
Individualism and conformity--two very commonly used terms to describe anyone in today’s time. In comparison to the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man,” written by Logan Feys, one of the most notable quotes that relates to individualism and conformity is “to be a human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes [...][and]talents [...] that are distinct from those of others. Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family, …” (Feys Par. 6). To be truthful, conformity and nonconformity are used to determine a person’s inner-being, but every person is different, and in this case people will not always agree with each other on how they should live.
Throughout the year Professor Prudden has been teaching us the idea of the individual and when and how it came about. We have studied The French Revolution, Scientific Revolution, Colonialism, and Reformation, all stressing what made this time period important to the individual. We finished the class reading the novel Frankenstein with does a great job of demonstrating a man or “monster” creaking his own being. We have already determined that an individual is; the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant. Mary Shelley demonstrates individuality through Frankenstein and leads to his internal isolation and loneliness. She shows that uniqueness is the most important aspect of individualism not only through Frankenstein but Victor
Individualism is defined as many different things, but one definition of individualism became very popular in the early 19th century especially in many of the literary works of the time period: the pursuit of individual rather than common or collective interests. This new idea was expressed by many early American authors in their writings.
Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an “emphasis on individual initiative” where people act independently of others and use self-motivation to prosper. The individualists “value privacy” over community the individual thrives to move ahead in life (U S Values).
...clusion, Caitlin Tom’s essay Individuality vs. Fitting in, the American novel Little Women by Louisa Alcott, and the romantic yet empowering dramatic film Jane Eyre all exemplify the importance of a society pertaining individualism as it leads to overcoming societal barriers and stereotypes through recognition, it encourages individuals to bring about change through their unique individualism, and aids them in valuing the invoked change in relation to their individualist characteristics and traits. It is evident that individualism is very crucial for a society willing to maintain its civilization successfully. Thus, individualistic traits are the fuel which drive a society to its development and initiation through evolution. As a reminder, Individuals should use their unique individualistic traits and characteristics in order to help improve society as a whole.
Citizens of today’s society have to comprehend that by conforming to the pressures of others and imitating everyone else, they will get nowhere in life. First of all, a teenage boy attends his first big high school party at a friend’s house one weekend and he is pressured into drinking beer and smoking marijuana so he will seem cool in front of the popular jocks and cheerleaders. Since many teens are so terrified of ridicule and downright embarrassment in front of fellow students, they decide to give in to their peers even though their actions may go against their beliefs. Emerson believed that by being an individual “you shall have the suffrage of the world.” Furthermore, an innocent sixteen year old girl’s parents go out of town for the weekend and she invites her cute, popular, senior star quarterback boyfriend over, but he pressures her into having sex when she i...
There comes a point in everyone’s life when they are pressurized by society’s demands. One is given the option to either conform or challenge these social norms in order to suit one’s life.
Watch your thoughts, they become your words; Watch your words; they become your actions; Watch your actions; they become your habits; Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
In adolescent development, socially constructed stigmas often stunt the advancement of self-expression, there is an idealistic and commonly harsh shaming that is enforced through western social normativity. As such there is an inherent fear that is fostered (at least initially) by many youn...