Mental Health.

Non-Conformity For Body Dysmorphia & Eating Disorders.

Self-image and the benefits of going against the grain.

Photo by Billie on Unsplash

The world needs to see the part of you that makes you different. No one else has the exact combination of personality, knowledge, skills, and talents that you bring to the table.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain.

People who score low on conformity are more socially connected and less likely to internalize social standards of attractiveness, which are both known to contribute to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders.

The conformity scale measures conformity according to how much a person has:

‘‘a characteristic willingness to identify with others and emulate them, to give in to others so as to avoid negative interactions, and generally, to be a follower rather than a leader in terms of ideas, values, and behaviors.’’

Interventions that encourage non-conformity to treat maladaptive internalization could be a solution. Such…