Also see the separate article Coma. Previously, the term persistent vegetative state (PVS) was used to describe all patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. PVS has become marked by ethical and medical dilemmas, often, if not always, requiring legal assistance.
Full Definition of AGENCY. 1. a: the office or function of an agent b: the relationship between a principal and that person's agent. 2. : the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power: operation.
In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, structure is those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, customs, etc.) that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions.