Unit 2: Essay

Prompt

Indigo is normally an autonomous person. Discuss how she would go about making an important decision —for example, what career to pursue, whether to make a large purchase, whether to marry someone. That will require you to go into depth about the concept of autonomy and what has to be going on for someone to be autonomous; a slogan will not be enough. Then discuss in detail one way someone else’s actions could undermine the autonomy of her choice. Finally, discuss in detail one way that social forces (social, cultural, economic, et cetera) could undermine the autonomy of her choice.

Unit 2: Essay Answer 

  Autonomy as defined within the field of psychology refers to the concept of self-governance and being in the state wherein one is in control of their life. This means that a person who is considered to be autonomous has free reign over the decisions they make, free of whatever influence there may be that  could come from external factors be it the coercion of another person or a much larger entity. To put it simply: in order to attain autonomy a person must act and be driven by their own motives.