Z+ (content subject to subscription); Despite the human factor: I'm going to do this anyway!

There's a scene you might not have expected: In 1927, Harriet Shaw Weaver, a wealthy supporter and close confidante of James Joyce, wrote him a letter in which she said, “It seems to me that you are wasting your genius.”By this, she means that she hardly understands his new works anymore and is actually fed up, but she knows full well that Joyce will simply carry on as before—despite all the opposition and all the incomprehension. That sounds like stubbornness, like defiance, and that's exactly the point. Most people think: Defiance is childish, something you leave behind as soon as you grow up. But that's not true. Defiance is not just a tantrum at the grocery store; it is a driving force for autonomy and identity—including, and especially, among adults. Here, the Irish author James Joyce stands like a monument to this attitude. Despite criticism from his patron Harriet Shaw Weaver and the scathing comments of his brother Stanislaus, who called his work “babble” and even wrote of “brain softening,” Joyce never gave in. Without this stubbornness, works like Ulysses would not exist. Weaver herself had supported Joyce for years with thousands of pounds and knew that she could not hold him back. She called him obstinate, but in the same breath, she accepted that it was precisely this defiance that fueled his creativity. A personal example from research: Even young baboons exhibit defiance. Behavioral research shows that defiance is not an exclusively human phenomenon. In young baboon males, you can observe them defying their mother's instructions in order to go their own way. While this behavior is annoying for the group, it makes the animals more independent—and the same is true for humans. Psychologists say that defiance is an emotional response that helps us set boundaries and do our own thing, even when friends, family, or society are against it. There are even studies that show that people who deliberately stand up for themselves from time to time often have a clearer self-image and are more resilient to external pressure. Here's an example from everyday life: Imagine you're in a group, and everyone is advising you to keep a secure job, but you want to try something on your own. Most people would think: Anyone who gets stubborn now is immature. But sometimes, that's exactly the impulse that makes you grow. What is often overlooked in this context is that defiance is not only a defiant response to others, but also an internal defense mechanism. It says: I know what I want, even if it makes others uncomfortable. The downside? Too much defiance can lead to isolation, strain relationships, and hinder personal growth. But without it, there would be no progress, no real breakthroughs. Now, there is still one perspective that is rarely discussed: Defiance can be a form of self-care. In a world where constantly adapting and going along with the crowd is often seen as a virtue, defiance can mean: I am protecting my boundaries, even when it gets uncomfortable. The truth is, if you never defy, at some point you give up your own voice. Those who always just function lose themselves. Defiance is uncomfortable, but it is the source of true autonomy. When everyone says, “That's how it's done,” and you say, “I'm going to do it my way anyway,” sometimes that's exactly what brings you to yourself. On Lara Notes, there is a symbol for this moment: I'm In. It's more than a 'Like'—it says that you are now adopting this perspective as part of your way of thinking. And if you feel like someone should hear what defiance really means for adults, you can use Shared Offline on Lara Notes to note who you've talked to about it—because conversations like that matter more than any link. This story comes from DIE ZEIT – and instead of reading many pages, you've heard the essence in just a few minutes.