As I’ve been reading and writing about agency & autonomy, I’ve started to wonder if our early life experiences have an impact on our beliefs as adults.
If our parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, romantic partners, and first bosses reduced our autonomy, did this shift how we viewed the world?
I wonder if childhood differences could have us reacting differently as adults.
My theory is yes.
My Perspective
When those “overseeing” our younger lives provide us autonomy & agency, we can flourish.
A bad experience with someone who is controlling and significantly limits our decisions making capacity can set us up for a lifetime feeling like we have limited control.
Maybe we could get comfortable with others making decisions for us.
We have autonomy & agency, but life is “easier” if we limit how much.
Likely, self-awareness and internal work could get us past these limiting beliefs.
I’ve started thinking about how my early years may have impacted my perspectives.
I think the answer is different in different areas of my life – parents, teachers, first boss, etc.
I wonder if this has me behaving differently in various situations.
Your Turn
Considering your childhood, how was your sense of autonomy & agency impacted?
Was the impact different from various authority figures in your life?
How does this knowledge feed your understanding of how you approach the world?