Psychology based upon Environment

In an insane society the sane populate the prisons.

ADHD in Kenyan nomads is shown to be beneficial to those who are still living in the bush whereas those with ADHD who have settled down into modern life are hurt by the "disorder."

Something interesting I heard from a PhD psychology student friend of mine recently - something is only a disorder when it affects your life in a negative manner. An individual who happens to be a modern day paranoid living in the time of the 1950's Communist witch hunt might actually be considered quite a normal member of society back in the day - because the logic says that paranoia isn't an issue until it negatively affects your life. And back then paranoia might have actually benefited you because there is the chance of greater social esteem for talking to the cops or FBI about every person who showed a tinge of socialist leaning (cus dammit - those reds needed to be taken down!). Yet today, that paranoid gets medication and therapy sessions.

What this really says to me is that psychology supports conformity because it benefits the individual. Is this true though? Isn't it true that those who fight against the tide, those who have looked at the naysayers and said down with your close minded logic, those who have stood up against the masses - haven't those people brought the most benefit to society? And in the end, doesn't an advancing society benefit the individual the most? The changing perceptions of mental disorders based upon societal norms troubles me. It is a system designed to to push the status quo and it seems to fly in the face of evolution.