Benefits of emancipation for young people: the need for independence

These are the main beneficial effects of emancipation in the youth stage of life.

Living with parents when we reach a certain age can be comfortable, it allows us to spend a lot of time with our parents, to share moments and opportunities, as well as responsibilities...

However, in the course of our vital development there comes a time when this, instead of being an opportunity, becomes an obstacle when it comes to continue developing skills at a personal level, of great importance in adulthood. That is why emancipation is an important element in the lives of young people..

The challenge of starting to live as a young person with autonomy.

In recent years, in our country, there have been different socio-economic aspects that have influenced the have influenced the fact that the emancipation of young people is taking longer and longer to arrive..

The economic crises that we have faced in recent times, the instability in the labor market, the rise in prices both in the purchase and rental of housing, are some of the reasons that have influenced the fact that young people are finding it increasingly difficult to make this decision, and their emancipation from the family home is delayed.

Spain is in sixth place among European countries in which young people between the ages of 25 and 34 still live with their parents. But, as we mentioned earlier, in a large number of cases, this is a decision made more by is a decision made more by the circumstances surrounding them than by their own desire to live with their parents..

These conditions have turned emancipation into a necessity rather than a decision. There has been a delay in the age at which independence from the family of origin occurs, but our maturational development continues, and among its fundamental characteristics is the need to generate a space of our own, of responsibilities, hand in hand with progress as the adults we are becoming.

What are the benefits for young people to become independent?

These are the main beneficial aspects of emancipation in the youth stage.

1. Responsibility

Emancipation is directly linked to the presence of responsibilities, many of which the young person may not have thought about before..

The maintenance of the own home, the tasks of the day to day destined to this one including them inside your routines, as well as to solve the difficulties that can appear in their development, will be part of the emancipation.

2. Autonomy

With the beginning of adolescence we already see the need for independence and autonomy, when the child himself demands to make decisions for himself, that his opinion is taken into account and is valued the same as the rest.The child is ready to make the decisions that accompany him/her at this stage.

As we advance in this development, autonomy is increasingly important, adapted to the evolutionary cycle in which we are.

When we are in our 20s and 30s, our maturing capacity is sufficiently prepared to make decisions for ourselves, regardless of the assessment of others; and that is how we need to do it, looking after our own welfare based on our own desires.

3. Self-management

At the moment of emancipation, too The ability to manage conflicts and resolve situations that may be considered complex is also tested at the time of emancipation..

This promotes the development of the capacity of identification, analysis, options and opportunities that we can find, being oneself the one who takes the decision that considers more opportune according to the characteristics of the moment.

4. Decision-making

In the development of this new stage, with great assiduity will be reflected the moment in which you will have to make certain decisions at a personal level.

Many of them, surely, had not been valued or could be experienced in a more subtle way, since the major responsibility of the household did not fall on oneself. Now one's own involvement in decision making is different, now we are the ones in charge of deciding based on our own criteria and what we consider to be the best decision..

5. Create your own rules

Hand in hand with all of the above is creating our own rules. Now the personal space is your own home, and, therefore, you are the person in charge of its dynamics. There comes a moment when you realize that you no longer have to follow rules or traditions set by other people, but you will set those rules yourself.Instead, you are the one who will set those rules, putting more emphasis on those things that are important to you.

6. Freedom

Just as independence is associated, on the one hand, with a greater degree of responsibility, on the other hand, we find greater freedom. This may sound contradictory, but entering adulthood is closely related to these two concepts.

How many times have we heard someone, or even ourselves, wish we were older so that we could do whatever we wanted to do? This greater freedom is accompanied by a greater capacity to choose for oneself and, therefore, greater responsibility when it comes to the decisions to be made. It is true, independence provides greater freedom in the choice of our criteria and our rules.

Author: Bárbara Lucendo Arribas, General Health Psychologist at Centro TAP.