Maturity and Human Development
Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines maturity as a state of being fully developed in the body or the mind.
Maturity differs from growth which is a change in the physical characteristics of an individual.
It also varies with development which are the changes that ensue in a human being’s physical and behavioural traits.
What’s more…
Even though there are developmental milestones that are appropriate for every age of the human lifespan, maturity occurs at different levels and at different points in time.
Hence, physical growth does not equate to maturity.
This is a point of confusion amongst many groups of people as many practices that we are struggling to abolish today (such as child marriage) have stemmed from the notion that attaining a particular age or physical characteristic means that said individual is matured.
Who is a child?
We cannot but re-emphasise that a child is any person from the age of 0 to 18 years. This definition isn’t a mere postulation but has been backed up by facts that assume that at 18 years, human beings are expected to have acquired a certain sense of maturity.
How can one define maturity?
Maturity is a multifaceted concept. For this reason, it is possible to be mature in one aspect of one’s life and immature in others.
A person is said to be mature when they are fully developed in the following areas: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and moral.
Physical maturity occurs when an individual has attained all their biological characteristics and is functioning as he/she ought to.
Emotional maturity involves gaining emotional intelligence which is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in ways that affect you and others positively.
Intellectual maturity happens when one has the ability to reason and solve life problems.
Social maturity is the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with others.
Finally, moral maturity entails discerning between right and wrong and understanding how one’s actions and inactions will affect the structure of the society.
To conclude,
Realising that one’s rapid growth does not necessarily mean that that one is mature will go a long way in understanding the psyche of children, as this will influence the quality of decisions made concerning children.
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I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead.
Cheers,
Ewoma Omoghene