Review: Determinants of Fitting In

Fitness as a Primal Need

Fitting in highlights the individual's need for groups, and brings into sharp focus the dynamic duality of personal v social found in every Tree pattern. No functioning of any sort can take place without some influence from the socio-physical milieu.

Fitness can be a survival issue. For those who feel they do not and cannot fit in, managing communications and self-control over actions may be socially protective. Vagueness and ambiguity may be used to this end. The problem is that while others may accept those who look the part and cause no upset, their inner need for fitness is not being met i.e. there is no personal protection. Such a situation is intolerable: it damages self-esteem and leads to depression and suicidal ideation.

Example: Goth Subculture

Following the positivity of the 1960's, many did not feel they belonged in society. When Gothic themes—macabre, dark, horrifying, decaying, mysterious, and melancholic—emerged in music bands in the UK, many who had felt like outsiders were drawn to that world. This is where they felt they belonged, where they felt safe. The subculture spread globally with huge goth festivals occurring regularly. See this self-report.

What was not clear or insufficiently emphasized prior to this investigation is the way that fitting in is channeled through depiction-PH'3 and clarification-PH'3C. These functions are naturally dependent on the use of language-PH'5 and it is notable that the method in general use in society is universal-L'4. Universal language does not demand precision or conviction, but merely consensus with an implicit feeling that mutual understanding is occurring regardless of whether this is the case.

Fitness & Conformity

Fitness is used here to refer to an individual's capacity to belong to an enduring social group by genuinely sharing the reality of the group. This may superficially manifests as conformity. However it is possible to conform without actually fitting in. So the two terms are not synonymous.

In THEE, conformity is the name assigned to an ethical disposition to follow societal conventions (PH"6-L2), and for identification with popular morality (PH'4-L2).

Because conformity focuses on specific social rules, it becomes a basic requirement for any social order.

By contrast, fitting in focuses on the depiction of a group's current reality, and is a basic requirement for a person seeking to belong to that group,

In social science, conformity is viewed behaviourally as a matching of attitudes, beliefs and behaviours to a group norm. Conformist behaviour may be habitual and automatic or compliant and due to social pressure. The significance of social pressure was demonstrated in a series of classical experiments by Asch in the 1950's.
Details

Participants were required to match the length of a line against three comparison lines. When asked individually, the participants would choose the correct line. When asked in the presence of others who were in on the experiment and intentionally chose the wrong line, most participants conformed and chose the wrong line.

Both fitness and conformity are universal, even if collectivist cultures differ from individualist cultures. Conformity to rules and fitness to sustain belonging to chosen groups are identified in THEE as fundamental universal human functions.

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The Pattern

The analysis proceeded using the standard Tree pattern. However, it is always wise to check that other direct Channels are not required and explain why.

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► Recognize the internal duality and consider the effect on the Tree of becoming self-centred.

Originally posted: 1-May-2025. Last amended: 25-eb-2026.