The fear of standing out: a psychological problem that self-sabotages us
Sadly, We live in a society that generally educates us to be competitive with each other and to follow certain patterns in which we must fit in order to be accepted, even if these are not in line with the unique and individual part of our being.
From this education of the competitive world, people begin to live unconsciously from the fear of not fitting in, of not being good enough and of not belonging to the normative
There are two things that derive from this unconscious fear. Firstly, as a society we tend to sanction and condemn the talents of others, and secondly, as individuals, we tend to hide our virtues and achievements.
Have you ever wondered why you are so afraid to stand out? Or why do people find it difficult to demonstrate their virtues in front of a group? The reason is this. Society condemns what is different and generates an unconscious fear in the person of standing out and breaking away from the norm, creating a lack of freedom of expression of the individual’s abilities and virtues, thus generating a greater tendency towards conformity and for the individual to remain within the group average.
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The phenomenon of group conformity
In 1951 Solomon Asch demonstrated this phenomenon in accordance with the group known as “Solomon syndrome.” or, in other words, the fear of standing out and/or breaking away from the norm. This fact means recognizing that we are less free than we think, since we are more conditioned by the environment than we initially believe, as Asch demonstrated.
When our fear of standing out from others and being rejected by the group is present, We can even make decisions in our lives that hinder our personal progress in order to continue in what the majority of the group understands as normal and it is socially accepted. However, this type of behavior to avoid standing out and standing out from average leads us to have problems in the long run, such as low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and feelings of inferiority.
Furthermore, when we are guided by the need not to go beyond what is natural within the environment, a feeling of emptiness begins to appear, since there is a need for self-realization that is not being met due to the fear of being punished or judged by the environment.
Tips to avoid giving in to the fear of standing out
What can we do? Let’s see 8 little tips to start breaking the fear of standing out and shining.
I hope this article helps you better understand where this fear of expressing your talents and standing out comes from and that it helps you work on it.
