{"id":449,"date":"2019-07-14T22:12:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T02:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=449"},"modified":"2021-11-11T15:44:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T19:44:03","slug":"rebel-tendency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/rebel-tendency\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rebel Tendency (From The Four Tendencies)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the Rebel tendency from Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies<\/a> like? How do they behave, and what’s the Rebel Personality? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of the four tendencies, the Rebel tendency makes up the smallest percentage of people. Rebels are known for only doing what they want to do, and for refusing to do something if there is any kind of expectation put on the task\u2014even if it’s their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading about the Rebel tendency from The Four Tendencies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Overview of the Rebel Tendency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rebels are the smallest tendency, with the fewest members. Rebels resist all<\/em> expectations, internal and external\u2014they do what they want<\/em> to do. <\/strong>\u00a0Another way to think of this is the Rebel \u201cmotto\u201d that Rubin gives: \u201cIt\u2019s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They value choice, freedom, and self-expression or identity, and enjoy bucking convention and expectation. Sometimes this resistance to expectations gets them in trouble though, and they make a choice<\/a> that goes against their own self-interest or desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortform Example<\/strong>

A Rebel might want to be a writer, so she starts writing, no problem. But then her friends tell her they love her work and they\u2019re sure she\u2019ll go places. \u201cHave you got an agent yet?\u201d \u201cWhen are you going to publish?\u201d Suddenly there are expectations<\/em>\u2014more than just her wanting to be a writer, people expect her to do certain things or accomplish certain things.\u00a0

Best case scenario, she\u2019ll keep writing but resist following all the conventional expectations such as getting an agent, or seeking to publish. Worst case scenario for a Rebel, the external validation<\/a> and expectations will interfere with her ability to write, and suddenly she\u2019ll find herself incapable of doing something she wants<\/em> to do simply because other people have expectations, and now she does too.<\/em>

A simpler example: if a Rebel wakes up and feels like doing his laundry, he\u2019ll do it. If a Rebel wakes up and feels like doing his laundry, but then his wife asks<\/em> him to do the laundry, he probably won\u2019t. If a Rebel tries to keep a to-do list<\/a> and wakes up that day to \u201cDo the laundry\u201d written on the list, he probably won\u2019t. In the first scenario, it was a whim, an off-the-cuff want. In the last 2 scenarios, there are expectations, either external in the form of his wife asking, or internal in the form of his own to-do list.
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Strengths of Rebels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because they do what they want, Rebels are free from the pressures other tendencies succumb to in terms of expectations<\/strong>. They enjoy challenges if they can choose how to meet them, and do best when there are no expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with the Rebel tendency revel in defying expectations:<\/strong> tell a Rebel she\u2019ll never do something, and she\u2019ll work hard to do that very thing to defy your expectation; tell a Rebel she\u2019d be great at something and she should do it, she\u2019ll deliberately avoid doing that thing to avoid fulfilling your expectation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s something they want to do, they work hard. Rebels with<\/em> a cause can be incredibly useful<\/strong>\u2014they serve as the voice of dissent and an alternative to the status quo. According to Gretchen Rubin, Rebels teach everyone else that we\u2019re \u201cfreer than we think\u201d:<\/strong> we can do what we want to, and the world will still turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of their natural tendency to buck convention and expectations, people with the Rebel tendency can actually be very good at resisting harmful socially accepted habits, like smoking, drinking, and so on. And some Rebels are actually drawn to and thrive in highly regulated careers or environments, such as the military, the police force, the clergy, and so on\u2014either because they\u2019ve realized too much freedom isn\u2019t good for them, or because they like having so many rules to break and conventions to resist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Careers that allow for individuality and value pushing the envelope can be a good fit for Rebels. For instance, academia is full of Rebels, particularly with tenure. Once they get tenure, Rebels have a secure job but one where they can, for the most part, do things their own way, on their own schedule, and still publish papers or make work that rebels against the existing research and carves a new path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some other positive ways to describe Rebels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n