Whether or not one’s parents, peers, and educators believe that responsible individuality and individual objectivity are possible as more than slogans can affect the direction and strength of one’s personal aspirations and confidence in oneself. Individuality is a sacred word in our culture, so we always give lip service to it, and there is no shortage of egoistic mythology. But, unfortunately, much of what we hear, expect of each other, and are taught actually discourages the cultivation of independent thinking and acting.

A research colleague in the child development department at my university told me, “Yes, I can’t even talk about it with most of my colleagues. Tree quarters of the faculty who should be thinking about the constructive cultivation of individuality »refuse to touch it. The rest don’t have time to get into it very deeply. It is no way to make a career. No grant or consulting money in it. Too controversial. They see the issue as too difficult and too fuzzy. It is too hard to get out publications that people will care about. Faculty attitudes don’t seem to change even once they are protected by tenure; they still can only think that the administration wants to see lots of papers and grants. Look, the university offers several classes in the »socialization of children, but no classes in »individuation.

I asked if that was not a bit frightening to parents and others. But he doubted that parents really want their children’s individuality cultivation. They seem to want youngsters to be well under control and to acquire their own family and community values, to grow up to get secure jobs. They may even fear individuality as chaos. Most people, even in our society that threatens to blow up the world to defend individuality, would see your concerns with »real intellectual individuality as foolishly altruistic.” He suggested that, in his field, “our Marxists don’t believe there »is such a thing, so they are certainly no help. The capitalists want a docile, socially well-defined work force. The neutral faculty can’t lead because they are competing for federal grants. And nobody in multinational corporations, labor unions, or in Washington »really want to promote individuation for the average person. I suppose they think it might make society even more difficult to manage. There is no »constituency demanding it.

— The Anatomy of Judgement, Phillp J. Regal, 1990

I would note that Financial Elites and the Wealthy are more likely to go unpunished for their displays of individuality… or, in some cases… be celebrated… yet even they can fall afoul of the severe judgement of those inculcated with normative expectations or cultural shibboleths.