“is everyone a rebel?”, or put differently: “are you born a rebel?” is one of the most frequently asked questions i get. my first response is always to look at children. they all are rebels, no exceptions. they keep asking questions (why? why? why?), are super creative (give them a cushion, a box, and a pen, and they’ll create a rocket that brings them to the moon), and they’ll share what’s on their mind, regardless.

so, the real question should be: ‘why do we unlearn rebellious behaviour?’ and why do some more than others? while i can write a whole book about that, basically, our society is set up for conformity, and it already starts at nursery school.  

back to today’s question, rather than asking the question ‘are you a rebel?’ that can only be answered with yes or no, i prefer to look at rebelliousness on a spectrum.

some people express rebelliousness more subtly, like questioning an assumption in a one-on-one conversation, while others express it more overtly, for instance, by speaking up or counter-arguing the manager in a meeting or rejecting social norms and going their own way. even individuals who are generally conformist may resist rules or norms they perceive as unjust or restrictive.

and so, yes, there is a rebel in all of us.

there are two rebel tests out there to find out your rebel type. both tests will assign you one of four rebel archetypes. but remember, few of us fit in just one box and can be characterised into a single type. while the test will show your dominant tendency, you might act differently in another context. so please also take note of the other rebel types.