The Ravages Of Economic Dependency

Several studies have shown that unemployment causes more serious effects than those caused by working in precarious conditions. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the lack of income not only generates deep anguish, but also operates as a factor that affects the foundations of emotional balance and identity. All this leads to an economic dependency that is a brutal blow against self-esteem.

Not having your own resources is a situation that generates emotional pain. Especially since we live in a time when the capacity to consume is one of the measures of success, well-being and even personal worth.

Relying on the will of another to buy anything is a very troublesome condition for any human being. This type of dependency ranges from great deprivation to modern forms of slavery.

Economic dependency and work

Economic dependency is directly linked to the lack of a job, or the absence of a job that generates enough income to achieve autonomy. The lack of work basically originates from a decision of your own.

Many will say that this statement is unfair, but if you look closely, it is not. You always have the possibility of working on something to generate some kind of income. Even if economic conditions determine high unemployment, there are still alternatives in minor trades that are probably not in anyone’s plans, but which may be the only source of income at any given time.

You can still make desserts and sell them, or provide freelance services in any of those trades that not many want to take on. The point is that you may not want to do it because it goes against your plans and aspirations. But the truth is that it is an option that is there and that, at a given moment, you can take.

There are thousands of people who have been forced to work in a minor trade at some stage in life. And many of these people manage to get ahead and overcome the precariousness of that job, at the point of perseverance and determination.

Regarding the fact that sometimes there is a job, but the income is not enough to achieve independence, what can be said is that in these cases there are two decisive factors:

• Managing resources in a highly disciplined way is the best way to act when income is low.
• It is just as important to secure a job, however modest it may be, as it is to remain attentive to new opportunities to earn extra income, or to switch to a higher paying activity.

The origins and effects of economic dependency

Work has enormous symbolic importance for anyone. Much of the identity of any individual is determined by the work they do. Likewise, the ability to have one’s own income is perhaps the most determining factor in personal autonomy. That is why it can be said that the basic problem that every adult must solve is work.

However, the trap is that not having a job and financially dependent on someone else also generates collateral earnings. The clerk may come to feel that it is better to endure lectures than to work in some unrewarding activity. If he is also “a mother’s boy”, why is he going to grow up, if as long as he has a mother he has everything?

It also happens that there are people completely invaded by insecurity about what they are capable of doing. They do not lack the will to work, but their feeling of handicap is so great that they do not feel deserving of a job, much less if it is a good one. Deep down, they do not believe they can get out of their condition of lack. For these types of people, unemployment and economic dependency are a shield of protection against their fears.

In both cases, the consequences of not having your own income are dire. This circumstance acts as an obstacle that prevents progress in almost all aspects of life. It increases insecurity, reduces self-esteem and also makes relationships with other people precarious.

A deep feeling of frustration appears, sometimes masked behind an alleged cynicism, or a constant dissatisfaction with everything and everyone. It is like cutting off your wings and being subjected to the whims of another: giving up freedom.

Work makes money, but not only that. It also introduces you to the sphere of responsibility, awareness of the real, and personal development. It is one of the pillars on which your growth as a human being is based. It is part of respect and self-love. Additionally, it prevents you from falling into a situation of physical or emotional slavery to those who provide you with what you need to live.

Images courtesy of Albert Simón, Art J7.