We explain what independence is, the origin of the term and what psychological, economic and political independence are.
What is independence?
By independence we normally refer to the ability to act autonomouslythat is, being able to make one's own decisions and ensure one's own existence without the need for tutoring or controls from anyone. In other words, independence translates into the control of things that are one's own and in making free decisionswithout being subject to the discretion of third parties.
This is a term from Latin, composed of the voices in- (“without”) and I will depend (“hang on”, “submit to”), and which is applied to very different areas of life and knowledge, as an antonym of dependence. In general, it is a term with positive connotations, which can be used about people, institutions or even entire nations, and in areas as different as emotional life, politics or the economy.
Psychological or personal independence
In psychology and personal development, we refer to independence to indicate the margin of autonomy of individuals, that is, their ability to make their own decisions, undertake their own projects and, in general, decide about one's own life without needing anyone's supervision.
We are all born in a state of dependence, both physically and emotionally, since we are from the earliest age subject to the decisions of our parents. They are the ones who feed us, dress us, take us to school, etc. We are expected, later, to relieve them of this work, little by little making our own decisions and taking the helm of our lives.
The first clear signs of psychological or personal independence occur in adolescence, often in the form of rebellion. We are eager to make our decisions, even before we have the capacity to reflect on them. But when we begin our adult life, we must definitely take control, and this means taking responsibility for what we decide and for our own well-being.
Thus, a psychologically independent person will be able to plan and execute their life, without needing someone to take them by the hand and tell them what is right. That doesn't mean you won't make mistakes, but He will take charge of his mistakes, learn from them, and assume his freedom personal, emotional and existential with the responsibilities that they imply.
Political independence
Political independence concerns, as is evident, nations and countries. A country is independent when it enjoys sovereignty over its territory and over social, economic and political activities. that take place in it. It covers territorial control through the armed forces, control of the bureaucracy and its effects on citizen life, and the power of decision regarding international treaties that the country subscribes or does not subscribe to.
The classic example of non-independent nations are colonies: nations subject to the control of a foreign metropolis, from where their laws are even dictated and their rulers are decided.
Many current nations, in fact, acquired their sovereignty precisely through wars of independence, fought against the colonial Empires of Europe. For example, Latin American nations freed themselves from Spanish control through a series of bloody independence wars that began between 1804 and 1811.
Economic independence
The term “economic independence” has been used in various senses, depending on the context. In the most common and general, it can refer to economic solvency, that is, to an individual's ability to meet his or her debts and meet his or her needs without needing anyone's help. In this sense, it is part of the requirements for an independent life, that is, for an autonomous adult life.
On the other hand, there has been talk of “economic independence” in the context of historical political debates, to refer to certain political and economic models with a developmental spirit, that is, that aspire to develop the productive potential of a country until it becomes self-sufficientand then – only then – open to trade with the rest of the world.
This tendency thinks of the nation as an autonomous system, capable of sustaining itself instead of depending on trade with foreign countries, which allows it to negotiate with other nations from a position of equality, and not of necessity.
These types of proposals are very common in nations that were European colonies, since their political liberation did not always bring with it economic autonomy, but many retained the dependent productive model that exports raw materials and imports the products derived from it.
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References
- “Independence (disambiguation)” on Wikipedia.
- “Political independence” on Wikipedia.
- “Independent living” on Wikipedia.
- “Independence” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Independence” in Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “What is psychological dependence?” by Alfonso Ramírez de Arellano on Letralia.com.
- “Emotional independence” in Psicogrupo.
