The Rebel Pattern by Jay Earley, Ph.D.

This is one of the interesting patterns in the Power Dimension of the Pattern System.

If you have the Rebel Pattern, you tend to rebel against people in authority by resisting or fighting against what they want from you, whether it is actually bad for you or not. You tend to oppose people by being rigid and confrontational, and this often leads to arguments or power struggles. You feel like people are trying to control or dominate you even when they aren't. You then get angry and defiant just for the sake of being right.

Of course, it is healthy to oppose an edict that really isn't good for you or one that is imposed in a domineering way. But you tend to think that most people are doing this, or at least most authority figures. You haven't learned how to distinguish the times when you really need to defend yourself from being dominated vs. those times when this is unnecessary.

You may also react with defiance when you feel like you are being intruded upon or smothered. However, you tend to see almost everyone as intentionally doing this to you. You don't just set limits when they are really necessary; you set them most of the time. And you tend to do it in an angry, self-righteous way.

You may play devil's advocate automatically argue the opposite side of any point of view that is put forward. It is difficult for you to simply agree with someone, even when you truly do, inside. You may actually enjoy engaging in arguments or fighting against what you consider to be injustice. Of course, there is plenty of injustice in the world. But do you like to get righteously angry about harmful actions without making any proactive attempts to create harmony and fairness? If this is true, you may have a Defiant Pattern.

When someone is overly controlling, can you respond to them in a way that will be most effective in getting them to change? Or do you tend to get hostile, or dogmatically dig in your heels? Even if you are justified in fighting back, do you do this in the most effective way to get what you really want? Or do you engage in a power struggle just for the sake of it?

You may also rebel against a part of you that tells you what to do. This defiance takes the form of refusing to do something that you have decided is important to do. This is also an attempt to preserve your autonomy, but now it is directed inward at a part that you perceive as being overly demanding and controlling.

Or you may rebel against a part of you that is trying to control your impulsive behavior (such as over-eating or drinking too much). The rebellion may take the form of binge eating or drinking, just to prove that you won't be controlled by this part. This kind of inner rebellion often happens whether or not the other part of you is really being too controlling.