Those who stand out against the background of others either defend their own point of view or prove someone else’s failure. Such motives of public figures were discovered by the authors of a new study. At first glance, geniuses, rebels and other people who refuse to live “like everyone else” are different: they have different ideas, values ​​\u200b\u200band ways of expressing themselves. Someone changes the picture of the world for all people living in it with the help of scientific discoveries, someone declares it imperfect and changes social orientations. At the same time, some are supported and admired, while others are treated with caution due to similarities in beliefs.

Scientists from the University of Georgia in the USA have conducted numerous studies and found that prominent people are mostly divided into “individualists” and “dissidents”. The former have their own worldview, and it is important for them to adhere to it regardless of what others think. Others primarily oppose generally accepted points of view and try to prove their failure.

Once the main types of elite people were identified, researchers examined how society perceived individualists and dissidents. The results of the study have been published Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

First, the scientists asked participants to characterize each type and suggest the most suitable occupation for their individual. Research participants viewed “individualists” as leaders: CEOs, entrepreneurs, team leaders. Competitors were offered creative professions: musician, artist, actor.

However, when participants were asked to name an example of real or fictional misfits of each type, show business representatives dominated both groups. So, among the main “individualists” along with Katniss Everdeen (The hunter from Susan Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy) turned out to be singers Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish, as well as actor Johnny Depp.

Scholars have also examined perceptions of the personal qualities of various prominent individuals. Participants thought “individualists” were pleasant to communicate with, calm, and professionally competent. “Dissenters” were represented as social, neurotic, and also prone to violating legal and moral norms.

People’s attitudes towards misfits of one kind or another were also different. “Individualists” were often admired, and the actions of “competitors” were periodically described as socially disapproving. The latter, according to the results of the survey, manage to attract attention to themselves, but they do not always receive more support from others.

According to scientists, their work can be a starting point for studies of harmony and disharmony in different cultures and countries. According to the results of the study, if the United States has a positive attitude about standing out from the crowd, this may not be a problem in other parts of the world. Moreover, stereotypes about elite people are not nearly the same everywhere. To identify such regularities, it is important to understand processes within society and individual social groups, according to the researchers.