People display originality within group conventions to signal difference safely

Evidence

The social psychologist Marilynn Brewer posits that most people choose a strategy of “optimal distinctiveness” right in the middle of the spectrum, making distinctive micro-choices that conform to the group’s macro-conventions. The writer John Seabrook explains this strategy in layman’s terms: “You want to be perceived as original, but not so original that you are outside of the marketplace of popular opinion.” In the 1990s TV drama My So-Called Life, Angela Chase, the mousy protagonist, dyes her hair “crimson glow” to distinguish herself from her nerdy peers. She didn’t invent the idea of bright red hair; it emulated a well-established convention among alternateens. But it allowed Angela to break away from her nerd peer group and take up with a higher-status crowd. Had she gone for true individual distinction—e.g., by partially shaving her head in homage to the śikha style of Hare Krishnas—she may have alienated everyone, even the rebellious outcasts. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 178

Categorization

• DEFINE: The Angela Chase example vividly illustrates the concept of ‘optimal distinctiveness’ in operation.
• XREF: The hair-dyeing example ties to my earlier essay on dress as class/identity status signaling — a concrete pop-culture instance of coded micro-distinction. — connects to: People verify group traits they lack to stay included yet distinct — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 917; Shared arbitrary practices constitute a group’s collective identity — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 137; People signal status by using symbols associated with top groups — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 210 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• People verify group traits they lack to stay included yet distinct #expands (0.88) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 917
• Group identity is constructed by designating outsiders as others #complicates (0.76)
• Group identities are invariably reinforced by reference to outsiders #complicates (0.75) — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 356
• Shared arbitrary practices constitute a group’s collective identity #qualifies (0.74) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 137
• People signal status by using symbols associated with top groups #qualifies (0.72) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 210
• Audiences can decode the same message in a globally contrary or oppositional way #complicates (0.72)