{"formatVersion":"1.1","id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson","path":"/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson","title":"To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist","family":"Perspective detail","description":"Discover the power of nonconformity and ethical decision-making. Explore ambiguous situations and stigmatized groups. Join the discussion.","language":"en-US","access":{"audience":"public","indexable":true},"provenance":{"sourceUrl":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson","wordpressId":"6581","contentCompleteness":"complete","dateScope":"original-source"},"authors":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz#person","name":"Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz"}],"dates":{"datePublished":"2009-04-14T04:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-09-23T08:52:08Z"},"content":{"html":"<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\"><ol><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog\">Perspective</a></li><li><span aria-current=\"page\">To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist</span></li></ol></nav><div class=\"article-page wp-imported article-standard\"><div class=\"article-main-grid\"><header class=\"article-heading\"><h1>To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist</h1><p class=\"article-inline-credits\"><span class=\"credit-row\">Written by <a class=\"article-credit-person\" href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz\">Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.</a></span><span class=\"credit-row\">Updated <time datetime=\"2025-09-23T08:52:08Z\">September 23, 2025</time></span></p></header><div class=\"article-reading\"><figure class=\"article-feature\"><img alt=\"Terracotta chair angled away from a row of wooden chairs\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"800\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/ac2725f77a3f49facc17e941.webp\" width=\"1200\" decoding=\"auto\"></figure><article class=\"prose\" id=\"article-content\"><p>3. They had a strong need to feel accepted by the others. </p> <p>Another way of stating the results of this study is to say that human beings have a powerful need to conform and are therefore, deeply influenced by the <a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/how-social-norms-affect-our-decisions\" class=\"article-inline-link\" data-context-link=\"359\">norms and values of the society</a> in which they live.</p> <p>I am reminded of a powerful movie done during the 1960s called \"Twelve Angry Men.\" It starred Henry Fonda, among other great actors and portrayed a jury of twelve men who had the task of deciding the innocence or guilt of an Hispanic young man on trial for murder. At first, the jury was almost unanimous in believing the subject was guilty except for the lone stand out, Henry Fonda. </p>\n<p>There was enormous group pressure towards a guilty verdict based on such factors as the accused person’s ethnicity, age, the wish to find him guilty, end the proceeding and go home. </p><p>The character of Henry Fonda was able to stand up to the enormous pressure against his wish to explore the facts of the case much more carefully. Gradually, he urges the jury, one by one, towards changing their verdict based on \"reasonable doubt.\"</p> <p>That movie and this issue strikes at our sense of ethical thinking, moral judgement, human decency. </p> <p>Are you able to withstand group pressure even in the face of the group being wrong when you know you are correct and they are wrong?</p> <p>There are many real life situations in which the lines between right and wrong are not clealy marked and decisions are, therefore, more difficult to make. What do you do then?</p> <p>There will be more on this topic in the form of how we decide the groups that are or are not stigmatized.</p> <p>Your comments and questions are encouraged.</p> <p>Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, PhD</p> <h3 id=\"section\"></h3></article><section aria-label=\"Article contributors\" class=\"article-about article-contributors-panel\"><section class=\"article-bio\"><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz\" class=\"card-identity-photo\" aria-label=\"Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"64\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/3f1145a76c69b3ca318ecb8b.jpg\" width=\"64\" decoding=\"async\"></a><div><p class=\"article-bio-role\">Author</p><h3><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz\">Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.</a></h3><p>Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. is a medical writer with more than 30 years of clinical experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He writes on a wide range of mental health topics, including mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, trauma, abuse, stress, and relationship challenges.</p></div></section></section><section aria-label=\"Related community\" class=\"article-topic-community article-topic-community-end\"><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/community/mental-health\" class=\"card-identity-photo\" aria-label=\"Mental Health\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"topic-community-banner\" height=\"887\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/e0a5f5b329d9a4316bb7a478.webp\" width=\"1774\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"/assets/responsive/05a7b9f4dd5463c409854a2e.webp 800w, /assets/optimized/e0a5f5b329d9a4316bb7a478.webp 1774w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 961px) 236px, calc(100vw - 80px)\"></a><p class=\"topic-community-label\">Related community</p><h2><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/community/mental-health\">Mental Health</a></h2><p>A shared space to explore mental well-being, everyday experiences, and connection.</p></section><div class=\"article-endmatter\"></div></div><aside aria-label=\"Article navigation and related information\" class=\"article-sidebar\" data-bounded-rail=\"\" tabindex=\"0\"></aside></div></div>","text":"Home Perspective To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist Written by Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.Updated September 23, 2025 3. They had a strong need to feel accepted by the others. Another way of stating the results of this study is to say that human beings have a powerful need to conform and are therefore, deeply influenced by the norms and values of the society in which they live. I am reminded of a powerful movie done during the 1960s called \"Twelve Angry Men.\" It starred Henry Fonda, among other great actors and portrayed a jury of twelve men who had the task of deciding the innocence or guilt of an Hispanic young man on trial for murder. At first, the jury was almost unanimous in believing the subject was guilty except for the lone stand out, Henry Fonda. There was enormous group pressure towards a guilty verdict based on such factors as the accused person’s ethnicity, age, the wish to find him guilty, end the proceeding and go home. The character of Henry Fonda was able to stand up to the enormous pressure against his wish to explore the facts of the case much more carefully. Gradually, he urges the jury, one by one, towards changing their verdict based on \"reasonable doubt.\" That movie and this issue strikes at our sense of ethical thinking, moral judgement, human decency. Are you able to withstand group pressure even in the face of the group being wrong when you know you are correct and they are wrong? There are many real life situations in which the lines between right and wrong are not clealy marked and decisions are, therefore, more difficult to make. What do you do then? There will be more on this topic in the form of how we decide the groups that are or are not stigmatized. Your comments and questions are encouraged. Allan N. Schwartz, LCSW, PhD Author Allan Schwartz, Ph.D. Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. is a medical writer with more than 30 years of clinical experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He writes on a wide range of mental health topics, including mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, trauma, abuse, stress, and relationship challenges. Related community Mental Health A shared space to explore mental well-being, everyday experiences, and connection.","wordCount":394},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#organization","name":"MentalHealth.com","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/","publishingPrinciples":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/publishing/editorial-policy"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#website","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/","name":"MentalHealth.com","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#organization"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Perspective","item":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist","item":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson"}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson#primaryimage","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/ac2725f77a3f49facc17e941.webp","contentUrl":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/ac2725f77a3f49facc17e941.webp","width":1200,"height":800,"encodingFormat":"image/webp","caption":"Terracotta chair angled away from a row of wooden chairs"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz#person","name":"Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/allan-schwartz","jobTitle":"LCSW, Ph.D.","image":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/3f1145a76c69b3ca318ecb8b.jpg","memberOf":[{"@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/publishing#department"}]},{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson#article","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/blog/whoso-would-be-a-man-must-be-a-nonconformist-ralph-waldo-emerson","headline":"To Be a True Individual You Must Be a Nonconformist","description":"Discover the power of nonconformity and ethical decision-making. 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