An Holistic Approach to Maturity!!!
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In Nigeria and some other countries, an individual is considered a minor until they reach the age of 18, though some persons reach the age of 21 years to be out of minor. While it is said that when minors commit a grievous offence, let's say murder, they are given special protection rather than allowing them to face the law, because they see them as a child who do such acts unintentionally, whereas, some countries make sure they face the law.
For instance, 14-year-old George Stinney Jr., an African American boy was electrocuted in the United States for murdering two white girls in South Carolina in 1944. It was said that the young boy was wrongfully convicted because of a lack of evidence and coerced confession.
You can read about it here
This is not where I am going but to buttress the point that some countries, whether minor or not give punishment to anyone who goes against the law of such country.
At age 18 or 21 years, whether this age is too soon or too late to be considered an ideal adult age depends greatly on the societal and cultural factors, as well as the circumstances surrounding such individual.
Some people argue that it might be too soon to grant the full adult rights and responsibilities to an individual at the age of 18 because such a person is still in the process of growing up and developing some crucial skills of life and may lack the experience needed to make wise decisions, to this people, extending the age a little more should be considered to move out of the minor stage.
In another way, some people believe that age 18 is the most appropriate age for legal adulthood as it aligns with when an individual completes high school education in many countries and as a sign that such an individual has reached a level of cognitive development and independence.
If left to me to think whether such age is enough for an individual to move past being a minor, I would say yes because trying to prolong the period of being a minor could delay a young individual in the ability to pursue higher education, enter the workforce, or become a full participant in society.
Does Age Determine Maturity?
Age is just one factor used to determine one's maturity, whereas other major factors make an individual mature enough and ready to take up responsibilities and make informed decisions in the stage of adulthood.
Some individuals exhibit maturity beyond their years and one would be left surprised and wondering, "How come?" while there are those individuals whom, it takes longer to develop the necessary skills and judgments.
When talking about age being a determinant of maturity, it is necessary to consider some factors before saying whether an individual is mature or not irrespective of their age.
Emotional Intelligence: If an individual even at age 18 can recognize and manage his or her emotions, as well as show empathy to other people, this can mean he or she is mature enough. A young individual can be more experienced in this aspect than an individual who has grown up to, let's say 30 years.
There are people, in their 30's who can still not manage their emotions as they react quickly to whatever situation surrounding them, and there we have young individuals below such age who act boldly and confidently to address any issues of life without making a big deal out of it.
Critical Development: When an individual can think critically, solve problems quickly, and make wise decisions, such a person is said to be mature irrespective of age.
Life Experiences: For some young individuals, life has dealt with them early in their stage and are already exposed to diverse situations which have challenged them to face life and accept whatever responsibilities that come their way, this influences their maturity levels and never to succumb but to do their best.
There we have people who come from rich backgrounds and are not exposed to challenging situations, for these kinds of people, when faced with life's harsh moments, they wouldn't be able to cope or navigate through.
Adaptability: When an individual can adapt or adjust to change, handle adversity and also learn from past experiences, this indicates maturity.
Independence: For an individual who functions autonomously, and makes wise choices without depending on other people or waiting to be supervised or monitored, we can say that a person, irrespective of age is mature enough.
In conclusion, it is important to take a holistic approach which is necessary when assessing maturity rather than focusing or relying solely on age.
Thanks for your time reading. Looking forward to your interaction.
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Ohh!!! That boy that was electrocuted for killing those girls
Oh oh up till now anytime I hear the story, I get really sad about it
I also just came across it days ago and I was so mad at the law especially for lack of evidence. To me, that was racism because he was also a black boy.
Yeah, when you watch the movie it’s even more sad
Unfortunately, the time he grew up did not favour him
well done princess. You made great points. I agree with most of what you have said in this post for this topic. In Iran , 9 year old girls are considered adults gross right ? :/
So gross, I would say. But just like I said, maturity is based on experiences of the individual. Perhaps those girls are being exposed to life's uncertainty and circumstances at such age and leaving them to fend for themselves. These girls grow up quickly to become mature to be able to cope. But I don't like such law, those girls are too young for that.
o.o this is just straight "pedo". I don't think they have fully developed their brain yet and they haven't even gone thru puberty yet at 9 years old; i think this is just when it starts. oh well though it will probably change in the future. There's no way they will keep it like that forever
Age should never be the only criterion for measuring maturity. For a person to be termed as being mature, all the pointers you listed should be checked and fully grasped.
Yes, I agree with you. Age isn't the only determinant here.
I think the "life experience" factor can make some people evolve quickly due to the need for learning and evolution
Well, you are also right in this aspect because experience teaches us about life and new things happening.
Definitely a holistic approach is needed to determine maturity. Using just age will be a very limited approach. From my view, life experiences tend to play a crucial part in determining how we achieve maturity, especially how we handle these experiences.
You are absolutely right. The way we handle life's experiences wisely makes one an adult, irrespective of their age because it means they are able to navigate through life and make wise decisions. Thank you.
Exactly, that's basically it.
You're most welcome :)
Truly, age is not enough a factor to determine maturity. Other factors such as life experiences, critical development etc as stated. I enjoyed your view points
Exactly. Thank you for reading.
You're welcome
"Taking up responsibility and making informed decisions determines maturity" as said is a valid point which sometimes doesn't depend on age as expected. Thanks for this great write-up
It's my pleasure. Thank you for reading too.
I think 18 years is not the ideal age. At that age normally people are driven by emotions and it's not good most of the time. Again at that age, most of people need to depend on others for financial support and their actions and decisions can be easily influenced.
Yes, at that age, those who have supporters to support them will do while they depend on them, there are those who do not have people to help them. They are exposed to experiences at an early stage that makes them hustle to survive.
Most of the time we always think age deals with maturity but one of the things I have really come to discover is the fact that it does not deal with maturity. In fact a younger one can still be more matured than the older one
Exactly 💯
An adult can still be a fool and being pushed around while a young person already is taking charge of things and deciding on his own.
I was thinking that adulthood starts from 18 years in Nigeria.. really confused on how you got 21 years. Anyways, I love those key indicators for adulthood which you discussed on this post. Most times it's not all about ones age, my boy of 6 years thinks and reason like a 10 year old child
#dreemerforlife
Yea, I saw got it online that most countries extends the age to 21 years, even though the official age is 18yrs. Just like your boy, there are other children who reason so much like an adult which will leave you in awe.
I think the age factor to be considered adult is @18, most movies always address this during the beginning of every movie.
And like you insinuated age is not a determinant for maturity, experience is a determinant of maturity. I think maturity is a certain stage when one can handle life situations as they arise. I like the factors you listed for this particular topic.
#dreemerforlife
You are not matured yet if everything you do is decided by another person without taking some steps on your own. When one is able to make informed decisions on his own, face life's experiences without running away from them, then they have reached that maturity age where they can fend for themselves at any point in life.