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So, for instance, someone who doesn't occupy himself with the opinions of others and what they think of him, however who wouldn't go naked on the streets, because he completely doesn't care about what people think.

tchrist
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user76935
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  • A solipsist. Why? because no matter how much a person may show that he does not care about other's opinions, deep inside his heart he does, it is impossible to completely ignore those opinions. So either your question should be like "someone who makes himself appear not to care about other's opinions" or the answer is probably the name of a mental or psychological disorder. – Invoker May 22 '14 at 12:57
  • Thick-skinned...? – WS2 May 22 '14 at 12:58
  • unswayable: "After the interval, the courts scene is dominated by Bob Graham, as the judge who is unswayable from what he sees as his mission to uphold the law." Birmingham Mail (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Bewitching+production%3b+REVIEW+THE+CRUCIBLE+The+Nonentities+Rose+...-a0177643209) – Kris May 22 '14 at 13:10
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    Related: Doesn't worry about what others think, independent confident. – choster May 22 '14 at 13:59
  • @invoker Your comment seems to describe the opposite of a solipsist. Or are you trying to say that the only way one could not care about the opinions of others is if you didn't believe that others exist? Anyway, I don't see how not caring about the opinions of others is "impossible". Perhaps almost everyone has at least a few people whose opinions they care about. But can you say with certainly that never, in the history of the world, has there been someone who didn't care at all about the opinions of others? And then you say that it's a mental disorder, which implies there ARE such ... – Jay May 22 '14 at 15:51
  • ... people, you just don't think their attitude is a good thing. – Jay May 22 '14 at 15:52
  • "Second term president"? – Steve Jessop May 22 '14 at 18:06
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    Your description has a contradiction. If you care what people think about "very inappropriate acts" they you care what people think. – Oldcat May 22 '14 at 18:16
  • @Invoker I'm curious as to why, "deep inside his heart he does", or it must be a mental disorder? I am a person of sound mind, and for as long as I can remember, I've never cared what others think, save for those I choose: my mother, grandmother, and now, the wife. But I sincerely don't care what anyone else thinks of me, and honestly, if any of those women find discord with me, we figure out the problem, though I could still care less what they "call" me. Words are only words, and I've known this since I was a child. They have only the meaning we give them. – SpYk3HH May 22 '14 at 21:30
  • @Oldcat Even most psychopaths still care what people think about them inasmuch as they would like to avoid going to jail for being caught committing crimes. – neminem May 22 '14 at 23:08
  • Bertrand Russell? "One should respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny." http://www.britannica.com/topic/513124/supplemental-information – Wayfaring Stranger May 22 '14 at 23:16
  • Call him anything you like, he won't care... – Software Engineer May 22 '14 at 19:29
  • Related. – tchrist Jun 07 '14 at 20:34

6 Answers6

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I think we could call such a person Self-assured. You can also use intrinsically-motivated (meaning self-motivated in actions).

Canis Lupus
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sankalp
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  • I would argue that intrinsically-motivated would be more related to why a person does something, rather than how a person regards others' opinions. – Ryan May 22 '14 at 22:49
6

Answers others have posted show that the word you use depends on whether you are thinking of this as a positive or negative characteristic. My first thought on reading your question was that the general answer would be that you call such a person "independent", or "independent-minded" if you need to distinguish from other forms of independence. Often we use longer phrases, like saying he "makes up his own mind" or "thinks for himself". I think those are all basically positive-sounding terms.

If his independence of thought leads him to actually do things that are seriously unconventional, than he may be a "non-conformist" as @hauron says. That word may be positive or negative depending on context.

If it leads him to being inconsiderate of the opinions of others, then he could be "insensitive" as @josh61 says. I don't think his other suggestion, "egoist", is quite right. Someone could disregard the opinions of others, not because he thinks he is better than them, but just because he wants to know the reasons why and examine things himself. Again, it depends on context and shades of meaning.

Jay
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3

Perhaps a free spirit or a nonconformist?

hauron
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1

One of the ways people differ is in their sensitivity to what others think of them. From a psychological trait standpoint, this is sometimes called self-reliance. Those who are highly concerned about the impression they make on others may be considered apprehensive, group oriented, afflilative, or joiners, whereas those who care much less about what others think of them are called solitary, resourceful, or self-sufficient. Those at the extreme end of self-sufficiency may even be considered antisocial.

For more discussion of these and other traits, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16PF_Questionnaire

GMB
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It depends on the reasons why he behaves like that, anyway in general terms he could be an insensitive person or just an egoist.

0

The aforementioned is a varietist:

one who varies from the norm (as in aptitudes, desires, or appetites)

and he has a case of Titanism:

a spirit of defiance of and rebellion against authority, social convention, etc

Third News
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