Maturity vs. Age

[Eridanus]

Is there an age one can be considered mature? How much do outside factors play a part?

To help start the discussion I've added a little survey to see if our age effects our P.O.V.

Age:
Do you think you're mature?
Why or why not?
What do you think the age of consent should be?
At what age should someone be allowed to
vote?
drink?
smoke?
Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature?
Why or why not?

 

[Peter Parka]

Age: 31
Do you think you're mature? Yes and no
Why or why not? I,m good at dealing with a lot of things in a responsible way but am totally immature when I'm having fun
What do you think the age of consent should be? It dosen't matter, kids are going to have sex anyway. There should be more open and honest education about sex
At what age should someone be allowed to
vote? Think it should be tested on political knowledge, a lot of people vote without having the first clue as to what the're voting for
drink? Once again, kids are going to drink whether you want them to or not. Education is the key here
smoke? Same as above
Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature?
Why or why not? They more than likely are but you can't make sweeping statements, it varies from individual to individual

 

[andcuriouser]

I don't believe that maturity comes with years, but with experience. The two don't always go hand in hand. The outside factors contribute so much to who we are today.

Do I think I'm mature? Not always. In situations that call for it, I do believe I can be. I've certainly had a lot of profoundly bad and good experiences in my life, and those experiences have made me who I am today, for better or for worse. I believe that many of those experiences have matured me.

I believe that the age of consent is something that is very dependant on education. Sex is not something to be taken lightly. I couldn't give a number, but I will say that education is very important. Not the silly abstinence programs, but real sexual education, as early as is appropriate, in terms appropriate for their age group. This would set children up to make better choices in their future about sex.

Voting is something that I believe is very important to be informed about as well. People should be able to vote when they are educated and politically interested. In high school, there are civics and law and politics classes, which would hopefully give people a more informed opinion in regards to politics, so I see nothing wrong with being 18.

For drinking, I don't think the legal age for that should be so high, actually. People need to learn to drink not to get drunk. Most countries with lower ages actually have lower instances of binge drinking.

I'm very glad I've quit smoking. It really is a dirty habit. To be honest, I'd rather that cigarettes weren't sold at all. But that isn't going to stop people, so once again, it's all about education.

Do I think someone who is "forced" to grow up is more mature? Perhaps. I was apparently a very adult-like child, but I would hardly say that I was more mature. I'm sure it varies from person to person, and with circumstance. Sometimes early maturity can backfire later on.

 

[Bagel]

hhah i was gonan go intoa huge speech but lel stole my braina nd made it for me..lol.. so yeah..what he said


age:22
i consider myself situationaly mature..meaning i can be mature if i have to but when i'm relaxed i can be kiddish

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

Age:
23

Do you think you're mature?
sometimes. That question sounds so black and white, but really there is no black and white answer to it. I can be extremely mature, when it comes to things like being responsible. But when it comes to my relationship, a lot of times I can act selfish and immature. I beleive that anyone who says that YES they are fully mature is wrong. People never stop maturing, there is no height of maturity. Am I mature for my age? maybe that's a better question here. I'd say I'm in the median maturity range for someone my age.

Why or why not?
In some aspects I am very mature because I have been through many life experiences that other people my age have not, or have, and are still going through. Drug and Alcohol abuse is one. Having to make it on my own and be independent and take care of myself is another one. I still have my pitfalls and struggles, but I am learning more and more as the months and years go by, and I am developing more confidence that I can in fact make it on my own and not rely on others. As for the immature side of me. I can be a bit of a whiner or nag a lot sometimes. Namely, to my fiance. I think that is just a character flaw I have that I need to work on, but I don't think it will ever completely go away. It was something that I have been conditioned to do as a child, and when I was younger I knew that whining would get me my way 95% of the time. So that is something I still tend to do today. I don't request outrageous things, but when I have my mind set that I want something, I will try and reason my way to get it. This is not just tangible things, actually mostly intangible things, like someone's time, physical touch, or an act of service. I guess that makes me demanding a little bit.

What do you think the age of consent should be?
I'd say 20. The majority of 20 year olds I know are already on their own, or at least have their own financial responsibilities, and while maturity comes at different ages for different people, I think that 20 is a good age to start exercising the rights and freedoms which are given to adults...I think waiting longer than age 20 embitters people a little bit, and makes them care less about the laws put out there to protect them.

At what age should someone be allowed to:
vote? 18
drink? 20
smoke? 20

Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature?
Not necessarily. I think these people can be more mature in their life experiences, but often being "forced" to grow up at an early age can cause what I call emotional retardation. While they may know how to keep a roof over their heads and take care of themselves financially and physically, there are often problems that have occurred in their homelifes as children that cause them to seek out the wrong kind of attention or love to fill a void that they might have been missing in their life. Me being one of these people.

Why or why not?
see above

 

[Butterfly]

Age brings wisdom... but sometimes age comes alone!

I am not in the right frame of mind to answer the questions tonight

 

[lemon]

Is there an age one can be considered mature? How much do outside factors play a part?

To help start the discussion I've added a little survey to see if our age effects our P.O.V.

Age:
Do you think you're mature?
Why or why not?
What do you think the age of consent should be?
At what age should someone be allowed to
vote?
drink?
smoke?
Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature?
Why or why not?

age: 20 years and one month.

do i think i am mature?
i choose to not answer.

why or why not?
i let others make that distinction based on what i do and my interactions with them.

age of consent: no definitive answer.
age to vote: 18
age to drink: 18
age to smoke: 18

forced "growing up" mean more mature?
no definitive answer.

why or why not?
no definitive answer.

 

[sharpies]

There was a study done, fairly recently, that shows that the human brain reaches full maturity at around 25 years. This is, funnily enough, the age that Insurance Companies have been using as an indicator of maturity for over 50 years.

I doubt that a fully mature brain indicates that someone has fully matured but it probably means that they won't get any smarter.

I am now, (look over there <--) years old & I still think that there is room to mature - maybe that just comes with being male.

Allan

 

[Peter Parka]

I personally would hate to get too mature. Even though maturity is sensible it's bloody boring. I think it's good to get a balnace and be mature when it matters and be immature when it dosen't.

 

[Tim]

At age 19 I was very mature and there wasn't much room for improvement. Almost all of my life decisions were the right ones and I knew more than most of my peers. 10 years later I was 29 and feeling like I was even smarter and more mature yet. Now I'm 39 and looking back 20 years I realized there was SOOO much that I have learned since then. I have matured a lot from those days. Even looking back just 10 years, I can see the difference in my maturity level. So I am sure that in another 10 years I will look back on this time and see again how much I have matured once again.

“Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.”

“Maturity is: The ability to stick with a job until it's finished; The ability to do a job without being supervised; The ability to carry money without spending it; and The ability to bear an injustice without wanting to get even”

 

[Tim]

I personally would hate to get too mature. Even though maturity is sensible it's bloody boring. I think it's good to get a balnace and be mature when it matters and be immature when it dosen't.

“Maturity is knowing when to be immature.”

Randall Hall quotes

 

[Specialized]

I don't believe that maturity comes with years, but with experience. The two don't always go hand in hand. The outside factors contribute so much to who we are today.

Exactly.

Age: 19

Do you think you're mature? Yes, I do.

Why or why not? All I've heard my entire life is how well I was raised and what a great kid I am. I do act stupid sometimes, but who doesn't?

What do you think the age of consent should be? Age of consent varies from person to person. You'll never get one solid answer. I think education and maturity have a lot to do with a person when they lose it. They either have them both, one, or none. I personally don't think many young teenagers grasp fully the gravity of emotional feelings one usually has after getting burned after loosing it. Especially the girls. I'd say 18 is when it's okay to have sex.

At what age should someone be allowed to vote? I'm fine with it being 18, but 21 would also be a good age. I think as most people get older they understand politics more.

Drink? Yep.

Smoke? Yep.

Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature? Yes.

Why or why not? Being thrown into a situation like having to help support your family can only mature you in more ways than it'll take from you. You learn the value of money, you learn stress management, real world situations, and tons of other stuff. Of course you come out more mature than a kid who has 7 cars and never had to work for them. That kid will fall on his face when he leaves home, but the kid who struggled won't, he's already faced the world from home.

 

[Ria]

Maturity is something that always progresses. I think it is both, as without the age there wouldn't be the years of experience that mature us.

At the same time, I believe in 'letting your hair down' when you're out too. This doesn't really suggest we are immature by doing this, but it is important to be able to unwind and lose some inner tension. Being 'daft' for an evening now and then, is a good thing.

Ages of consent for the things mentioned? I also feel that education could help these a lot.

Maybe there is always room for improvement, no matter how mature we may feel we are, but life's experience certainly does go a long way to confirming maturity - in my opinion.

 

[elluko]

Do you think you're mature?
no way!
Why or why not?
Because... jyhueayg;tirujh;osi;eohgugaasmghjrsiehgjbvhjdagfjkgueriaoh ;rha;ahgjkgjkagbdashfjgbvjhghfaihu;ei;uh... Thats why
What do you think the age of consent should be?
I dont know what that means
At what age should someone be allowed to
vote?
16
drink?
14
smoke?
Never
Do you think someone who's "forced" to grow up younger is necessarily more mature?
They've tried, but I just ignore them.
Why or why not?
Because they have issues...