According to Osho, we seek approval because from childhood we’re trained to obey, not to inquire; whenever we act from our own intelligence, family, school and society disapprove, making us shaky and dependent. This conditioning breeds a lifelong need for permission. Freedom comes by trusting your own being, taking responsibility for consequences, and refusing to live as a puppet of others’ expectations.
We chase approval because we were taught as kids to fear acting on our own and to wait for others to say yes.