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I am searching for a word which means someone who has an obsession with being 'Normal', or someone who cannot bear to be different from other people, or similar. Is there any such?
Context:-
A lives in a western country, and always eats rice with chopsticks. His mother B scolds him for not eating like a normal person. When he cries due to the rather vigorous scolding, he is again scolded for not crying properly.
A suitable adjective for B?
How about conformist?
From Dictionary.com:
conformist
[kuh n-fawr-mist]a person who conforms, especially unquestioningly, to the usual practices or standards of a group, society, etc.
EDIT: As user BerndGit pointed out, you could really underline the 'obsessive' with pathological conformist
Normalist
A believer in or proponent of norms or normality.
Your example helps a lot. You are talking about someone who is very conventional.
Conventional -- Conforming to established practice or accepted standards [American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.]
The mother who scolds a child for not following traditional habits, when those habits are minor and have no bearing on modern life, is clinging to that tradition for dear life. She is stuck in the past, with undue reverence for convention.
Scolding a loved one 'for not crying properly' is also a controlling scold. Rather than trying to make sure that she fits in, she wants others to do so.
More colloquially, you could call the person (a) square (as opposed to hip).
I would argue you can't be obsessed with being normal and actually be normal. To obsess over it is to be weird in itself so given that, it will depend if this is coming from the 3rd person or not.
If you are talking about judgement from a negative 3rd person who is in fact likely the obsessive (with being not-normal, non-mainstream, 'unique') then they might use Pretentious, Sycophant, Conformist (as user1993 already suggested), Townie or Beta (both colloquial)
A more positive 3rd person may call them a Social Butterfly or Amiable
But, if this were a first-person assessment of themselves, they are more likely to say Plain, Normal or Average.
However, if this really is a person obsessed with the pursuit of normal, then they will probably see themselves as a Weird outsider (hence the obsession) and perhaps describe themselves that way or with the word Wannabe or Nobody
And in the same case, the negative 3rd person may (incorrectly) say they are an Attention Seeker (incorrect as they are trying to blend in, not stand out), Insecure or Needy
I'm basing these suggestion just on observations over years conducting interviews and working in bars, events and other industries, which is why they lean towards colloquial use and are not necessarily correct use of language
A relatively new word from the world of fashion might work
normcore
embracing sameness deliberately as a new way of being cool, rather than striving for “difference” or “authenticity.”
... is how it's defined in a New York article introducing the term.
(The inventors of the word say the meaning's been changed.)
Normcore is now in a journalism stylebook and written up by Oxford dictionaries. And the Wikipedia article is quite good.
I found that there is already a scientific word for that: "Normopath"
See: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/normopath
normopath (plural normopaths) A person who conforms excessively to social norms.
More details (in german): https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normopathie
Conformist, as already answered is a good fit. If you are looking for a pejorative synonym, sheep is an alternative.
Macmillan:
sheep NOUN [COUNTABLE]
2 INFORMAL someone who does the same as everyone else without thinking about it
ODO:
sheep NOUN
2 Used with reference to people who are too easily influenced or led.
‘Don't be a sheep and follow the flock, do something for yourselves, for God's sake.’
normie is a pejorative term in certain online communities referring to those who embrace mainstream culture to the point of being seen as 'unoriginal' or 'conventional' but in certain other contexts it could also mean someone who doesn't have any psychological or mental disorders.
From the perspective of the users of this word, a normie could arguably be seen as one almost obsessed with being normal.
Sources:
maybe not quite right but I have heard of "mainstreamer" - its a group in advertising who are "normal" - ... maybe what is "normal" .. Mr Average .. Ms Average ... Mr Median ! Ms Mean ... or "On trend" - in french "a la mode" ... not sure how to rephrase it if they are obsessive about it ...
"Normal" is a subjective and relative term — something can only be described as such in relation to a "norm" or standard. When you use the word "normal" in this way you may appear to the reader to assume that you both share a similar idea. Or you may sound critical or disapproving of the idea of normality. The words "conformist" or "conventional" sound more objective.
Your words "cannot bear to be" suggest that you may be leaning towards the less objective side. "Obsession" can sometimes have a positive connotation( "passion") but more commonly denotes an unhealthy state of mind.
I can't think of a single-word term for what you seem to want to say. These are some possibilities that come to mind, and they could be recombined with each other:
Personally, I lean towards 1 and 2, although 3 might fit if you want to express some personal disapproval of the idea of normality.
"Airhead" or "Basic"? (amoungst other terms mentioned on this Wiki Page for "Airhead")
"Airhead", also known as "ghetto prep", "popular", "Trixie" (in Chicago),1 "basic b***h", or simply" "basic", is a slang term in American popular culture used to pejoratively describe middle class white women who are perceived to predominantly like mainstream products, trends, or music[2] while at the same time fearing and disliking diversity.
"Lohanthony, who made a ten-second viral video in 2012 in which he said "Calling all the basic b***hes, calling the basic b****hes, there's a new announcement: You're basic", describes basic b***hes as "someone who does what everyone else is doing and isn't their own person at all" - The act of being popular and "basic" removes YOU from the equation... Might be a stretch, but I see "basic" as someone who does what's popular. That requires effort and attention to "being" basic.
Chameleon
A person who adjusts themselves to fit into whatever happens to be cool at the moment. Includes their appearance, their interests, their opinions, their personalities. Often referred to as 'scenesters' 'try-too-hards' or 'idiots'. (Urban Dictionary)
(For me, the added "context" confused things....)
One ought to call such a normalist "abnormal", however, it should not be done to their face. This comes from the authority of a well-known blogger.
I would call them abnormal (just not to their face).
