UNIQUENESS – SINGULARITY
“to be unique”
“To have uncommon characteristics that make us realise how different we are in a group. What is important is to be unique in a group, because otherwise you are not unique but just alone.”
“To be unique is not an advantage or a disadvantage, it is a fact.”
“To be unique can lead to being individualistic, being special, choosing something different from others. Sometimes, being unique can also lead to feeling excluded from a group, you tend to withdraw from the group, and this can lead to being individualistic, going your own way.”
“Something that makes us unique can be a talent that everyone has, but also little things – height, weight, hair colour, etc.”
“We are all unique!”
Theoretical Background
Singularity comes from the Latin word singulāritās, which means “being unique”. According to Oxford dictionary, singularity means “the quality of something that makes it unusual or strange”. If we know that each human being has his singularity, it can be made from a lot of characteristics: our personality, our values, our relationships with others, a physical trait etc …
Indeed, if we are all human beings, belonging to the same species with its characteristics: two arms, thumbs, and similar organs. There is a process of individuation that makes us unique. All of us are therefore both unique and alike. From a biological point of view, individuation involves the transformation of our body throughout our aging life. From a psychoanalytic point of view, the fact of being unique makes us a “total human”, which requires a long work to find its way.
References to go deeper:
Video: « Embracing Uniqueness », Cassandra Naud TEDxTalks
Uniqueness: The Human Pursuit of Difference (Perspectives in Social Psychology), C. R. Snyder
