Freedom is proactive self-influence, not merely the absence of coercion.

Evidence

When viewed from a social cognitive perspective, freedom is not construed merely passively as the absence of constraints and coercion in choice of action. Rather, it is viewed proactively as the exercise of self-influence in the service of selected goals and desired futures. … In addition to regulating their actions, people also live in a psychic environment largely of their own making. In this environment, the self-management of their inner lives frees them from unwanted trains of thought (Bandura, 1997). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 100 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Freedom operates through, not against, the psychological structure that constitutes us — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 724; Positive liberty means acting on one’s second-order desires through self-mastery. — Frank Lovett, Republicanism, 8; Freedom’s subjective recognition, not just its fact, constitutes its value — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 1224 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Freedom acts through self-influence over one’s own inner life, not just absence of constraints #corroborates (0.98) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 100