Not necessarily.
Conformity and nonconformity are both driven by instinct... just different instincts.
For some, safety and belonging dominate. For others, truth, rebellion, or distrust of authority take over.
One person fears exclusion, another fears submission. Both responses are conditioned. Neither requires free will.
Nonconformity feels like a choice... but it’s often just the result of different wiring, different wounds, different causes.
The desire to break from the crowd isn’t proof of freedom... it’s proof that your internal compass points somewhere else, and you didn’t install that compass yourself.