Conformity Vs Nonconformism

The Complex of Conformity and Nonconformity Conformity is the idea that an individual fits within their bigger society uniformly, but it tends to cause problems with people who don’t fit. This metaphorical jigsaw puzzle creates an unsafe and an uncomfortable place for some to live, those who we call “nonconformists”. But people like article writer Logan Feys explains this contention in detail in his article, “The Sociology of Leopard Man”, a study of one nonconformist which precisely details what society thinks on the issue. Decidedly, from this, it can be derived that conformity and nonconformity often parallel each other in how they both cause issues and benefits. In contradiction to popular belief, conformity actually comes with major
To support this, Feys offers his assessment of society, saying, “society looks down upon freakish and extraordinary individuals alike and views them with suspicion” (4). Here, Feys discusses how society sees nonconformists as a threat and, therefore, chooses to view them with suspicion, instead of accepting them. The society created by conformity, as discussed earlier, makes it incredibly hard for nonconformists to fit in and inherently hurts these people. In addition, nonconformists lack social opportunities to grow themselves and broaden others’ minds. The inherent oppression of nonconformists results in not many conformists reaching out to them to help them grow socially, which only makes the gap wider between conformists and nonconformists who refuse to understand each other. The blatant shame associated with being a nonconformist also often results in them not reaching out to others and vice versa, some even going as far as to secede from society because of embarrassment. Therefore, nonconformity is a lifestyle that comes with many
Conformity, coinciding with popular belief, has the positive of socialization. This concept of conformists being more social derives from the fact that they have more people who they can connect with, considering they do the same things and follow the same trends. Adding to this, many people are more open and don’t look down upon conformists and are more nice to them because they recognize normality in them. Contrary to popular belief, nonconformity has the positive of, according to Feys, “[freeing] us from societal pressures” (7). Feys here explains how not caring about other people's’ opinions really frees people from the conformist societal pressures. This release from the standards set forth by society acts as a way for people to be different and innovative . Therefore, both of these lifestyles come with great