The Individual identifies themselves individually and therefore initially approaches everybody else as an equal individual - no less and no more. As a unique human facing another unique human, they appreciate any differences in the other person.

The Social Person identifies with the groups they are part of, such as nationality, religion, race, ideology etc, and has learned to fulfil all expectations of these groups without any sense of individuality. They consider their groups to be superior and therefore view outsiders and other groups (as well as misfits) with disdain and suspicion, harbouring an us-v-them mentality in which others are feared, hated, ostracised, discriminated against and dehumanised, often going as far as war and genocide.

Since the Individual regards others as equals, they don’t patronise anybody, but they also don’t accept authority over them when it is based on hierarchy or other social constructs. Therefore the Individual doesn’t ‘just follow orders’, just like they don’t follow the crowd, but stands up for what they believe is right and just, regardless of their affiliation with either side.
And because the Individual consciously decides their own actions, they will always accept responsibility for them.

The Social Person accepts the hierarchy within their group and doesn’t question the orders of their superiors, nor condemns the actions of other group members, no matter how immoral, illegal or atrocious they may be.
And since the Social Person always acts on others’ orders or copies other group members, they will always refuse to accept accountability for their actions.

The Individual promotes the moral values they live by.

The Social Person promotes the moral values promoted by their group but only adheres to them when observed.

The Individual says what they mean and what they know to be true.

The Social Person says what is expected of them and what makes their group appear in a positive light, regardless of the facts.

The Individual considers their children individuals in their own right and assists their development by encouraging their interests and individual expression.

The Social Person considers their children personal property and forces them to behave and develop in the way that best serves their standing in their communities.

The Individual cares about the wellbeing of others, regardless of how different these people may be from them.

The Social Person cares about the wellbeing of the group, regardless of the fate of individual members, including themselves. For example, if they identify themselves by their nationality, the main indicator of the group’s wellbeing is the economy, and all sacrifices (including human sacrifices) are justified to achieve the best outcome, even if it means they have to suffer themselves. This sentiment is best illustrated by a motto the Nazis had adopted from a war poem: ‘Germany must live, even if we have to die.’ (‘Deutschland muss leben, und wenn wir sterben müssen.’)

The Individual views society as a horizontal entity in which each individual is of equal value.

The Social Person views society as a vertical entity in which everybody has their assigned place between the bottom and the top.

The Individual welcomes progress as they appreciate everything that improves their life or that of others.

The Social Person believes that the process of human progress is concluded and that the status quo (which they often refer to as civilisation or their way of life) or even a past state is the ideal state of affairs and that any change would be detrimental to the wellbeing or integrity of their group.

The Individual lives in hope of a better future for everybody while the Social Person lives in fear of what will happen if they don’t conform and comply (and in fear of them, of course).

The evolutionary advantages of individual identities are creativity, originality, common sense, rationality, logic and empathy beyond affiliation.

The evolutionary advantage of collective identities is the ability to network.

As I pointed out, we are all somewhere in between these two extremes. On the left (individual) end of the spectrum you will find liberals, autistic people, atheists, innovators, artists, pioneers, human rights activists and whistleblowers, at the centre you will find tyrants, egoists and narcissists who neither care about other individuals nor about the group but who have to conform to a minimum extent in order to be accepted by the group (many of these also manage to develop a certain charisma that appeals to people on the collective end), on the right (collective) end you will find conservatives, people pleasers, crowd followers, blind-eye turners and those who ‘just follow orders’, and on the far right you will find - well, the far right.

The consistent results of the Milgram Experiment suggest that two thirds of all humans are on the more extreme collective end of this spectrum. But our position on the spectrum is flexible. Some people, especially those whose individual nature and expression have been subjected to ridicule and discrimination, will move further towards the collective end in order to fit in while others will move further towards the individual end due to education, exposure to other worldviews and cultures or simple reflection on society. (For some, their position on the spectrum may even change according to situation, setting and environment.)

Of course all children are born with individual identities, and ending up on the collective end of the spectrum is the result of social conditioning, as I pointed out in my Deindividuation Resister Hypothesis.