Environmental Homeostasis

A norm group within an external environment may attempt to influence or ridicule—intentionally or otherwise—an outlier individual for reasons the group internalizes as justification in an attempt to equalize the system.

A common example is “the cool kids” in high school versus “the odd one out” sitting alone at lunch. Such behavior may function as a homeostatic mechanism, reinforcing the existing equilibrium.

The outlier individual retains the capacity to resist conformity, though doing so often introduces external friction.