The idea of self-determination refers to the ability to make decisions for oneself.
The idea of self-determination , in its broadest sense, refers to the ability of an individual to make a decision for themselves . By extension, self-determination is understood as the ability of a people to decide their future , especially through political actions that affect the organization of society .
We speak of personal self-determination with reference to the power of a person to organize their resources and exploit their potential to achieve the goals they set. This self-determination is linked to individual will and the possibility of choosing freely .
About personal self-determination
Various factors can threaten personal self-determination. One of them is the economic and social context : if someone wants to study, but does not have the money to do so, that desire cannot be fulfilled. Family pressures , meanwhile, can also affect self-determination.
Depending on the point of view, personal self-determination can be considered a trait specific to each individual, which manifests itself in different degrees, from very low, bordering on nullity, to very high, in those individuals who do not seem to stop in the face of any obstacle. As with other similar questions in the field of psychology, it is not easy to predict how self-determined a person will be simply by knowing the characteristics of their environment and upbringing, something that is proven by observing those siblings who choose practically opposite paths in life. despite having grown up in the same home.
Returning to what was stated above about the factors that can hinder self-determination, it is also correct to affirm that many people have more opportunities than they are willing to take advantage of, and vice versa. For those at the other extreme, it can be very frustrating to feel that life has denied them such opportunities, and in extreme cases self-determination progressively fades away until the individual stops dreaming of a better future .
Self-determination is linked to freedom: for example, there are those who demand the self-determination of women to define the continuity, or not, of a pregnancy.
The SDT
All of this is part of the self-determination theory , also known by its acronym SDT ( Self-Determination Theory ), which studies the motivation and concerns about development, needs and tendencies that we bring from birth.
In short, it tries to explain what drives us to make decisions when there are no external stimuli, that is, when they arise from our own determination. Throughout the 1970s, this theory advanced significantly thanks to research focused on intrinsic motivation and its impact on behavior.
Right of self-determination of peoples
The right of self-determination of peoples , on the other hand, implies that citizens have the sovereignty to decide on their form of government and to define how to promote their own social, cultural and economic progress. This means that, to guarantee self-determination, external interference (for example, from other countries or multinational organizations) must be rejected.
Although the right to self-determination allows individual human rights to be realized, it can also lead to dangerous situations, such as violent demonstrations to impose a decision or efforts to destabilize constitutional rulers.
The notion in politics
With respect to its history, we can say that the concept of self-determination in the field of politics had its origins throughout the so-called Contemporary Age , a period of history that began with the United States Declaration of Independence or the Revolution. French and that extends to this day. It was articulated by peripheral cultures , a division of economics that includes the developmental school and dependency theory.
Self-determination and Freedom (AyL), por último, es un partido político creado en 2001 por el dirigente Luis Zamora en Argentina. Se trata de una agrupación de izquierda que impulsa la autoorganización de los trabajadores para definir políticas y avanzar hacia el socialism.