Agency

  • May 23, 2026
  • General

By John M Oldham MD

The term “agency” shows up often in literature on human behavior.  It is a desirable feature of someone with a healthy personality.  But what does it actually mean?  In a new book entitled “Agency, The Psychological History of Human Progress,” well-known psychologist Martin Seligman refers to it as the fusion of efficacy, optimism, and imagination.  A strong sense of agency in an individual reflects a confident ability to control one’s own destiny and to achieve one’s goals.  If you ask AI for its meaning, you might get the following response: “agency refers to your capacity to initiate, control, and take responsibility for your own actions, thoughts, and feelings.  It is the inner belief and feeling that you are the active author of your own life, rather than a passive victim of your circumstances.”  A person without a strong sense of agency might benefit from mindfulness-based or mentalization-based therapy, both of which emphasize agency-building strategies.

Are these concepts compatible with how we think about personality in the fields of medicine and psychiatry?  Yes indeed, especially as reflected in the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders.  In that framework, a healthy personality is characterized by a sturdy “sense of self,” meaning clarity and confidence about one’s personal identity and one’s capacity for self-directedness.  And, yes, such a person would have a solid sense of agency.  And with these attributes on board, such a healthy individual almost inevitably would have healthy interpersonal relationships (the second criterion), reflecting the capacity for empathy and for developing mutually gratifying, lasting friendships.  A healthy person might say “I know who I am, I know where I’m going, I’m interested in understanding other people, and I have good friends who mean a lot to me.”  If there is significant impairment in functioning in these areas, it’s possible that elements of a personality disorder might be present and professional assessment would be a good idea.