Need for uniqueness is the drive to set yourself apart from other people through what you choose, wear and surround yourself with — a validated personality trait that runs from blending comfortably with the crowd to actively cultivating a one-of-a-kind look. Researchers find it shows up in three ways: seeking original, tasteful choices; being willing to make bold or unconventional ones even when others raise an eyebrow; and losing interest in a favourite once everyone has it. It is the mirror image of the need to belong, and most people feel some pull from both.
Consumers' Need for Uniqueness (Tian, Bearden & Hunter, 2001) — building on Snyder and Fromkin's (1977) need-for-uniqueness theory — is a validated trait measure of how much a person pursues differentness from others through the things they choose, wear and own. Its three research-derived facets are offered here as gentle self-ratings, not a test score. (Consumers' Need for Uniqueness (CNFU; Tian, Bearden & Hunter))