The Peer

The Symbols

Swan, Reed, House or Stilt House, River, Sun, Morning

Might Mean

Relatedness: relationships, sharing a common identity, being alike, compatibility, reciprocity, siblings or kindred spirits, friendship, familiarity, girl or boy next door, comparison

Normality: fitting in, finding one's place in the world, adapt, acting according to social norms, blending in, equality, egalitarian, following trends, peer pressure, influence, assimilation, conformism, copying, imitation, everyman, mainstream

Community: tribe, family, clan or gang, group identity, sticking with one another, me too, rallying others, empathy, support, brotherly love, following the crowd, losing one's identity

For Example

Movie Clips & Videos:

Conformity - Dead Poets Society

fitting in – The Americans

back in society – Captain Fantastic

You were my best friend, It's our own people – The Americans,
Kiss Me Scene – Eurovision,
The (Future) Friendship Machine,
Beware online "filter bubbles"

"Furthermore, the shadow is exposed to collective infections to a much greater extent than is the conscious personality. When a man is alone, for instance, he feels relatively all right; but as soon as 'the others' do dark, primitive things, he begins to fear that if he doesn't join in, he will be considered a fool. Thus he gives way to impulses that do not really belong to him at all."

–C.G. Jung, Man and his symbols p.175

Podcasts:
Why Can’t We Be Friends?,
How to Win Friends and Influence People (This American Life),
Bubble-Hopping and Bonus Catch-Up (Invisibilia),
Michelle Phan: The Original Internet Influencer (Without Fail),
Searching for Utopia: Intentional Communities (Life Examined)

Writings:
Fitting In Is Human: Forcing Someone To Fit In Is Oppression,
Agnes Martin on Resisting the Urge to Be Alone, No Time to Think,
Why We Conform, The Myth of Unique Identity

Friendship, Alter Ego, Impersonator, Divine Twins, Girl Next Door, Habitus,
Average Joe, Compatibility, Reciprocity, Mirroring, Conformity, Groupthink,
Herd Behavior, Egalitarianism, Collective Identity, Need for Affiliation,
Belonging, Social Integration, Cultural Assimilation, Minority Influence,
Social Influence, Influencer Marketing, Internet Tribe, Social Connection

Literature: The Ugly Duckling (full story)

But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. To be born in a duck’s nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan’s egg.

He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer, and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.

Songs:
Lumières de Vie (L'Heptade) – Harmonium,
Imitosis, Proxy War (Andrew Bird)