As one ages from a child to a teen to an adult, they go through different phases. Their body and mind grow as they learn new things and start perceiving the world in more complex ways than before. As they adapt mentally, physically, and emotionally, they become more sound in their opinions and ideas until it becomes the foundation of who they are. This is what is discerned as maturity.
Everyone has different ideas of what it means to be mature, but in general, one makes a maturity jump in middle school, high school, and college, and often even one more time in adulthood. Each time, a person learns or starts to understand new concepts that change the way they look at the world. This might involve becoming more independent, more accepting, or evolving in other ways. The biggest concept that comes with maturity, however, is the idea that everyone matures at different rates or times, whether it’s physically or emotionally. Along with that, no one has the right to determine when someone besides themselves has reached a specific maturity level. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but their right to voice that opinion isn’t necessarily the same.
This is mostly because people’s concept of a mature individual isn’t always the same. One person might think that certain qualities deem a person immature or mature, while others might have a completely different set of criteria. This ability to decide and differentiate what makes a person fully grown or not is subjective, meaning there isn’t a specific set of categories to fulfill or meet. In fact, one’s idea of this concept is often affected by their surroundings and the people around them.
Many people decide their concept of maturity in comparison to themselves. They decide that their expected level of maturity for another should match their own or exceed it. Along with that, they surround themselves with friends and people who are similar to them in this way. Even with friendships or relationships that have age gaps, the two individuals have similar maturity levels and mannerisms. Additionally, females typically mature faster than males. According to the National Library of Medicine, “The difference in timing of maturation is also visible in brain maturation, more specifically, in the increase in frontal gray matter that reaches its peak at different ages for both sexes (11.0 years for females and 12.1 years for males).”
However, from the beginning, a child’s idea of this is developed from their parental figures. Whatever behavior one’s parents deem acceptable at any particular age range often rubs off on their perception as well. Again, this doesn’t deem any specific behavior immature or mature, as it’s all a matter of one’s learned reality. However, this ideal is still important in some ways as it deems who one surrounds themselves with or doesn’t. However, it doesn’t decide anything as a matter of rule because one’s perception is constantly evolving and changing.
Overall, every individual is constantly learning, growing, and changing. Their physical appearance, emotional development, and mental perspective are evolving and shifting as a natural result of learning in the world around them. Giving people room for growth and mistakes is always an important aspect to maintain because as individuals, no one can be perfect. The idea of maturity is something we learn about from a young age, but our use of it to judge or perceive should never overshadow the potential of people to grow or learn in that aspect.
