All Hail the Social Rejects
I think some researched may have discovered why individualists tend to go against the flock while collectivists tend to pursue the status quo:
Most people experience social rejection at some time in their life, some of us more than others
But a study by a business professor at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, found that social rejection can inspire imaginative thinking, particularly in individuals with a strong sense of their own independence.
Lead author Sharon Kim concluded that, for independent people, social rejection can be ‘a form of validation’ to their own beliefs – and spur them on to greater productivity.
Consider the fact that most individualists are generally ostracized by society. Libertarians are generally considered kooky, unintelligent, and are often the target of ridicule in both public schools and colleges. This social rejection may be due to the fact that libertarians are imaginative and therefore able to perceive a society better than what they are currently living in. Meanwhile collectivists are more likely to promote the status quo. Socialists ideas are generally well accepted in much of society, possibly because their ideas are simply more of the same.
It all makes sense now.
