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You Are Shaped by External Influence

The mindset of the mainstream, the crowd-pleaser and the conformist, is often misguided. It’s no secret, especially to those who have had to navigate the social hierarchy of adolescence, that teenagers grapple with an identity crisis. This is when the question, “Who am I?”, begins to occupy their thoughts. The answer to this question is relative, depending entirely on the individual’s environment, historical context, and personal preferences. However, such introspection is often not robust. Many people do not seek a comprehensive answer to this question, even though the concept of identity is subjective. For the purposes of this analysis, I will exclude statistical identity, which is imposed by external authorities for surveillance purposes.

As a result of this lack of introspection, those who think simplistically tend to turn outward. They seek to shape their subjective identity through the influence of others, aligning it with their aspirations to ascend the social ladder. If the cool kids reject them, they will seek an alternative group whose characteristics closely match their own. The goal is to find a group identity that offers the quickest and most complete acceptance. In doing so, the individual ceases to be a freethinker. The duration of this cessation depends on many factors, answers to which sociologists likely already possess. The suppression of nonconformity—the quest to discover one’s unique character—is, in my opinion, a great shame. Though, I cannot be too upset by it, as the influence of the herd is indeed a part of the human condition. It would indeed be wonderful to see more individuals form their own worldviews, free from the influence of group identity. Sadly, this is a utopian fantasy and utopian ideas always seem overly optimistic for my taste.

Those most influenced by external factors will seldom admit it. People often believe they are independently minded, but this is rarely the case. The situation isn’t black and white, as everyone is influenced in some way, at some point, and by some means. This influence can be glaringly apparent, as seen in copycat behaviour, which is likely the most common form of herd influence. Then there are those who fall somewhere in between, navigating the nuanced impacts of herd influence. I would guess this to be the second most common scenario, albeit still a relatively small percentage. Then we have the truly independent minds—a group that shrinks the more independently minded a person becomes. Even the most independent thinker has been influenced to some extent by culture, experience, philosophy, and so on.

I can assure you that my cynicism likely stems from certain undisclosed life experiences. I also believe that these life experiences reveal the true nature of humanity, a revelation that the average beneficiary does not discover due to their benefiting from the corruption of human nature and its constructs. The non-independent mind, bolstered by an inflated human ego, will deny the fact that much of what they hold dear is derived from external influence, rather than their own cognition.

*This writing is featured in the book, Denial.