In a better light of being judged is that it is more beneficial to those acting upon it.
Judging will force one's deepest securities out in the open, only to reveal the true ugliness that is within themselves.

If you ever feel negatively toward being judged, just remember that it is a judgement based on a hidden envy that is essentially being yourself

Independence

"Rebellion is the start of independence"

An independence either by will or force; for the sake of this statement, it is an independence in relation to the confines in which society has us bound in.
Do not get me wrong, these confines can suit one perfectly, but for others- suffocating.
Independence from societal norms require some type of rebellion.
In the more deprived societies, societal norms can seek to sequester original action and thought. This type of society is most threatening to individual identity because this originality in thought or action is what brings the meaning to be not just someone but an individual.

Academics and you

Why is it that we prize individual academic success at the cost of sacrificing social interactions with those that share the same values as us?
For every action that is time costly, there are bound to be consequences unknown and known; whether those consequences be good or bad that it completely subjective to the person's situation.

A partial explanation to this is the social stigma to rise above others and be acknowledged...in hopes that your hard work and struggles were well worth the cause. 

Academics in relation to school, the system that recognizes students of merit encourages and teaches them to strive towards goals that will receive rewards, awards of verification/validation that "I am worth it" or "I did something worthwhile, I am not useless" essentially filling up this unknown void that is our undefinable identity.

Defining who you are is scary in and of itself and having to confront it alone is the last thing a person defined by their surroundings would want to do, because most of the time-they can't.