Do you think of yourself as a nonconformist? Is it something that comes naturally to you, or do you go out of your way to not follow the norm? Why? If you do consider yourself a conformist, does that ever bother you, or do you just not think about it very much?

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Answers

Freak - I scored 72%.

I do tend to say what I think. This is more a case of having no filter rather than being brave and true to myself. (My mom does the same thing.)

Also, as I've gotten older (sigh) I can respect other people's right to be wrong. (Boy, that sounds pretty snotty, doesn't it?) For example, I don't bother arguing with bigots and homophobes, I just move along. I've no doubt this reduces my score.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

I don't seem to be a freak - I got 43%. My other scores were: Need to be unique: 56%
Need to NOT conform: 16%
Willingness to express dissent: 67%
I choose my battles, I guess.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Need to be unique - 73%
Need to not conform - 64%
Willingness to express dissent - 96% I didn't dig this test. Like most tests I found there were questions that my answer was, "it depends." Like, "I do not always need to live by the rules and standard of society". Well, if your natural course of action brings you in conflict with rules that impinge upon your liberty and serve no real purpose to protecting the freedom and well- being of others, then break it. But breaking rules for the sake of breaking rules is a waste of time, and working together with the people around you to come up with standards *that you all consent to* is not a bad thing. I also felt the test was sort of leading. It seemed very obvious to me what the "right" and "socially acceptable" answers were (socially acceptable within an individualist culture like that of the USA).

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Need to be unique: 60% Need to NOT conform: 81% Willingness to express dissent: 67%

My problem with this test was my nonconformism varies from situation to situation. In my work I'm hired to be the troublemaker, the one to point out the different scenario's, the one who has the permanent dissenting voice. Yet I can attend horrible family meetings without ever raising my voice. Nobody shows the same kind of behaviour under all circumstances, yet this test doesn't allow me to say that. Humans are social animals, even when they're freaks.

So I'm noncomformist enough to disagree with the idea behind this test.

But a real noncomformist would have known better, and would have never taken the test, I reckon.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Personally, I think we're all freaks who can't take an internet test without complaining about it. Geeze.

But that's why I love each and every one of you.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

need to be unique 70% need to not conform 59% willingness to express dissent 75%

I'm only surprised by the first - while I'm willing to be unique, I wouldn't think I have much need to be. That's always seemed like reverse conformity, where you're driven to be 'different' by deliberately not doing what you think everyone else is. I'd rather just not pay all that much attention to what everyone is doing, and if I happen to wind up doing similar, so be it. Maybe that's because it's a good idea that a lot of people had.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

33% / 47% / 40%

Whatever. I know that this test -totally- depends on my caffeine intake. I've had none today, thus I don't care.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Need to be unique: 98% Need to NOT conform: 93% Willingness to express dissent: 96% Overall: 95%

Could this possibly be why i am self employed and have lived alone since early adulthood? my father always told me i had 'a BM & a BA'... a Big Mouth and a Bad Attitude!

...and you say i'm a BITCH like that's a bad thing!

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

77% overall. Pretty much in that range on all three.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

I scored in the high 20s on everything, 28% overall. I guess that's why I'm a commercial litigator in a big firm and Beth is providing social justice to the downtrodden.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Need to be unique: 41% Need to NOT conform: 77% Willingness to express dissent: 67%

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001