Structure vs. Agency in Humans: How much control do we really have over our behavior?

By Kristen Kilgallen, Psychology, 2022

Socialization and social institutions are structural agents that have powerful influence over the human psyche. Humans have evolved as a social, tribal species because our cooperation was beneficial for survival. In modern times, we see this play out in the desire for social acceptance and approval.

The debate lingers, however, over the extent of which society, our DNA, and our environment can override human agency. Our psychological interpretation of events gives rise to the behaviors we exhibit (whether we are aware of it or not). Much of clinical psychology focuses on our nervous system’s interpretation of our environment and how we can exercise our free will to act more adaptively.

An important distinction to make is the difference between independence and autonomy. Independence implies an ability to distinguish one’s self from what is prescribed, expected, or common. Autonomy, on the other hand, pertains to humans ability to self regulate and make determinations isolated from external influence. In theory, someone can be autonomous whilst choosing to be dependent on others.

Humans have evolved as a social, tribal species because our cooperation was beneficial for survival.

The structure of society lends itself to certain behaviors, but many argue that humans are still capable of thinking differently and acting autonomously of external “shapers.” This term is used by behavioral psychologists to describe processes that reinforce behaviors in subtle ways to reach a target behavior. Although it is true that the human mind is capable of thinking independently from the majority culture and separating one’s self from “groupthink,” our thoughts and beliefs are intrinsically connected to the experiences we have in the world. The human mind, according to Dr. Dan Siegal, a psychiatrist from UCLA, is “the emergent self-organizing process, both embodied and relational, that regulates energy and information flow within and among us.” In other words, we can not separate our thoughts and ourselves from the exchange of information we have with the world around us.

From the framework of a computational model of decision making, Dr. Robert Proctor from Purdue University has ran studies that continuously outline the ways that the brain’s output (our decisions and behaviors) are based upon various inputs (stimuli and information we have consciously and subconsciously processed and stored). These inputs are largely a result of our social environment. This makes our past largely influential over the decisions we make in the present, both for the individual, as well as in the broader sense of the way human cultures and societies evolve. Much of our modern understanding of learning systems in the brain is based on this computational, or information-processing model.

Some take a more deterministic viewpoint, suggesting that external influence and structures are the shapers in our behavior. However, humans are highly equipped organisms, with opportunities for self-regulation of our emotions, mindfulness, and introspection. This can lead to a form of self-actualization, which psychologist Abraham Maslov viewed as the highest form of human development. Agency, in this sense, may actually be something we develop, rather than something we are born with, as we unlearn the conditioning, socialized behaviors, and subconscious programming that largely controls human behavior on a daily basis.

Whether classified as autonomous or not, every choice is influenced by either our desire for a certain outcome, or a desire to feel joy and satisfaction.

Motivation and learnt behavior can stem from contextual structures, but our awareness of these structures gives humans the opportunity to make such forces obsolete. For example, if you are aware of the tactics used by advertisers in food marketing campaigns, you may find yourself being able to make a more autonomous decision at lunch time rather than unconsciously deciding you want to buy what they’re selling. Of course, it is impossible to be aware of every input that has some sort of weight in factoring in our choices — once again limiting the amount of true autonomy one has — but we can work at growing our awareness of the major influences.

Whether classified as autonomous or not, every choice is influenced by either our desire for a certain outcome, or a desire to feel joy and satisfaction. We have all sorts of motivations: introjected motivation regulates our action based on guilt and the desire for social approval, intrinsic motivation comes from the inherent joy you get from a behavior, and integrated motivation comes from the desire to act in alignment with one’s values. External motivation implies a lack of autonomy, but action taken from intrinsic and integrated awareness is a way individuals can exercise their autonomy and empower all of us as humans.

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