What term refers to the ability of individuals to make choices and act upon them?

The term that refers to the ability of individuals to make choices and act upon them is agency. Agency emphasizes the capacity of a person to act independently and make their own decisions, reflecting their control over their actions and life circumstances. It highlights the empowerment individuals experience when they possess the skills, resources, and support to take initiative in their lives.

While autonomy can also relate to making choices, it primarily focuses on the freedom from external control, which overlaps with agency but does not capture the same sense of proactive decision-making. Self-determination is a broader concept that encompasses agency, as it includes the idea of individuals having the power to define their own lives, but it also often refers to the ideologies surrounding personal goals and values. Independence refers more specifically to the state of being self-sufficient and not reliant on others, which is related but does not specifically emphasize the ability to make choices and act on them as agency does. Thus, agency is the most precise term for the ability to make choices and act upon them.