To what extend do people act against their own interests? Please any opinion or information will be useful:)

Maybe someone or something is blocking them. For example, a parent very often expresses his opinion on what you do and disagrees with you, so you feel bad about it because maybe that's what you liked to do, and because of them you go against your interests.And until they find the courage to serve their own interests, they'll do whatever they don't want just because that's what their parents want.