NO CHOICE

Through much of life, the Atman has no choice but to identify with its manifested coverings, the body, the intellect, the emotions, etc.  This is because the body's hormones are intense during this time, as is social conditioning.  There is much distraction. 

There are four stages of life, according to Vedanta, the student, the householder (worker, family person), the retiree, and the monk.  It is in the second half of life, after the hormones and social conditioning have waned,  that the Atman awakens from its forced, false identification with the coverings and sees itself for what it truly is, the Brahman.