Freedom Under Control

The psychological aftermath of the isolation period in the young Italians.

The freedom of choice was an undisputed concept, almost obvious until recently. The period of forced isolation we have gone through has profoundly dented this belief, radically changing the perception of the control we have over our lives. As a result, this has influenced our way of thinking and acting. During isolation, each person has coexisted with different emotions and moods, which have inevitably left within us psychological aftermaths that will hardly abandon us in a short time. The sense of uncertainty about our future increased due to the impotence of being masters of oneself and one's actions. Now we feel like our freedom is under control. An inescapable pragmatism has supplanted our spontaneity and carefreeness. The sense of community is crumbling away day by day, in favour of an increasingly distrustful and individualistic society. The enormous amount of free time we had recently, made us reflect. In some cases, it changed our priorities, contributing to the rediscovery of what really matters to us, what is indispensable in our lives. It led us to find out what we desperately need in our daily life. What we missed the most when our basic freedoms were denied.
In this reportage, I want to analyse those who were mostly affected by this psychological backlash: the young people from 23 to 35 years old.
During this phase of life, the young people go through a particular process of inner awareness that lead them to realize what they really want to do in their life. The inability to act freely and the prospect of an uncertain future are subverting the plans of thousands of them. Through a 12 questions interview realized with the help of psychologists expert in the field, I wanted to dig deep into the feelings that accompanied young people from all over Italy during the quarantine.
The aim of this project is to demonstrate how this unprecedented event has changed the way we see and live life, creating an archive of psychosocial changes that have taken place within the new generations.