Social and personal bases of individuation.

Abstract : Male and female subjects participated in a group experiment which provided them with opportunities (both verbal and nonverbal) to either individuate or deindividuate themselves. When the subjects anticipated the possibility of positive rewards, they made many more attempts to individuate themselves than when they expected that negative consequences were forthcoming. The pattern of individuating behavior was also affected by the subject's sex and prior level of experienced uniqueness. These findings have important implications for theoretical models of individuation and also provide a conceptual link between the phenomena of conformity, deviancy, and personal identity. (Author)