Psychological maturity is a multidimensional concept that currently does not have a single established definition. Psychological maturity of an individual is a special state of mental processes and worldview that allows a person to be a self-realizing individual. This includes the ability to establish productive social contacts and adequately perceive reality and the people around them. In addition, the psychological maturity of an individual is based on independence in meeting basic necessary needs, as well as responsibility for one’s life and actions.
All activities of a psychologically mature individual are aimed at realizing their own skills and emotional needs, while respecting social norms, rights and personal boundaries of other people. This is a certain skill that allows you to achieve success, both in your personal life and in your professional life. The priority tasks for such a person are the tasks of growth, development, advancement; there is a rich supply of life experience and empathy, which allows communication at almost any level.
What is socio-psychological maturity
Personal maturity is not acquired and does not depend on passport age. It is rather a psychological age, which can be completely different among peers. Thus, a person who has gone through many different situations, learned to overcome them and is independently responsible for his own choices is more mature psychologically than someone who has lived all this time in the same conditions with a minimum level of responsibility. Some people have the feeling that the more serious a person is and the more loaded with various important tasks, the higher his level of maturity. It is important to understand your own capabilities and desires, to sensitively follow your inner voice, which includes not only intuition, but also reason.
Psychological maturity gives a feeling of smoothness and increases flexibility - no rule, once established, is unshakable. A person understands that he, the surrounding reality and needs are changing, and accordingly the methods of interaction must change.
There is a lot of naturalness in the actions of a mature person; he will not hide his tears by force of will when he is very sad and will not keep a serious face when it is funny. Such freedom is born from complete acceptance of oneself, deep knowledge of one’s psychological characteristics and low susceptibility to manipulation. Social stereotypes have virtually no power over such people, since in choosing a path and their own reactions they are guided by internal sensations and their own needs.
Acceptance of yourself and the world with its laws, death, suffering and shortcomings of people allows you to be in greater harmony and not try to change what has existed for millennia. Resources are spent on what is necessary and beneficial: on one’s own development and activities that bring results. Such people end up living a more fulfilling life and accept death quite calmly, unlike those who constantly play hide and seek with it, never having accomplished anything worthwhile.
Psychologically mature people stand out from the crowd not only by their behavioral reactions, but also by their appearance; usually their image is quite extravagant, since there is no desire to support general trends. They also have no complaints about boredom or desire to kill time - they are full of keen interest in the world and life, often gambling, and the only thing they can regret is the limitations of their physical embodiment.
A person’s psychological maturity can manifest itself and be formed exclusively in the conditions of the social environment. Accordingly, on the path to growing up, a person goes through the necessary stages and processes of personality maturation. This is a kind of harmonious combination, including physical maturity and psychological age. There are special necessary psychological manifestations at each age interval, indicating the harmony of the development process; when stuck at one of the stages, personal maturation is inhibited and infantilization is present.
Many psychologists define personal maturity through the existential process of finding the meaning of one’s own existence and accepting responsibility in exercising the freedom of one’s choice. In addition to such deep and serious categories, there are measurable external signs of psychological maturity. This first of all includes a person’s interest not only in individual needs, his own existence and body, but also in the affairs of others. Such a person will take care of his family, help friends, and participate in processes that shape the social state. Interest is shown not only in the closest limited circle, but in numerous social groups (work collective, government processes, religious traditions, etc.). The ability to evaluate oneself from the outside allows you to establish deep and constructive social relationships that are built on mutual trust, empathy, sincerity, respect and tolerance.
Socio-psychological maturity allows a person to control and predict his own emotional manifestations. This contributes to the manifestation of tolerance, but not through efforts of will, but through a broad outlook and acceptance of both one’s own internal characteristics and other people. Managing your emotions allows you to express them in a socially acceptable way, indicating your attitude and not hurting the feelings of others.
A mature personality is quite holistic and flexible in its manifestations. That is, she always has a system of values and important goals, the achievement of which will always correspond to the moral and ethical concept of a person. A sense of humor and self-analysis are also acquired during psychological maturation and reflect a high level of mental development.
Social maturity is not identical to the concept of psychological maturity. It reflects exclusively the aspect of social interaction, which takes into account the adequacy, predictability and stability of the individual. This reflects a person’s independence in life, when he does not need physical, material or psychological support from others, with full legal capacity in this matter. This includes the ability to independently solve your everyday problems, be able to provide your own food and accommodation.
Socio-psychological maturity is directly related to responsibility, both in personal manifestations regarding only oneself, and at the social level, where other individuals are involved. If psychological maturity takes care of the development and realization of the individual’s potential, then social maturity implies directed human behavior that contributes to the development of humanity as a whole.
Even the psychological defense mechanisms of a mature personality are not at a primitive level: among them there will be intellectualization, sublimation, rationalization, instead of repression and aggression.
Adulthood period
In accordance with the provisions of E. Erikson, mature age covers the time from 25 to 65 years (forty years of life). If we take into account that the upper limit of this age period depends on the individuality of the person (can be pushed towards an even higher age), then the duration of maturity can be estimated within very wide limits.
On average, mature age is considered to be from 30 years to the moment of actual retirement, when active professional activity ceases (on average from 60 to 70 years). Personal characteristics can push back the border of maturity, which can give way to a time of withering (even after 40 years). There are cases when the period is pushed beyond the border of longevity. For some, adulthood continues almost until the end of life, despite the passport age, without being replaced by old age.
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Note 1
The central age-related new formation in the period of maturity is represented by productivity, which is understood as an integral formation. Professional productivity includes contribution to the development and establishment in the life of the future generation.
In youth, the central aspects of development are, on the one hand, family relationships (for example, motherhood or fatherhood), and on the other, professional competence. During the period of maturity, based on these aspects, a unified formation already appears, which integrates the results of the development of neoplasms of the previous period of time.
No less significant is the importance of maturity as the most significant age period, capable of determining and characterizing a person’s life as a whole. This age represents a period of full flowering of personality, during which a person has the opportunity to realize his full potential, achieving maximum success in all areas. Maturity is the time of fulfilling one’s own destiny, which includes:
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- professional activity,
- social activities,
- continuity of generations, etc.
Signs of psychological maturity
Psychological maturity and psychological age are closely related concepts, but this does not provide an understanding and definition of such a personality. It is most optimal to define categories through signs; depending on the scientific concept, there are from four to fifteen of them. The main features include:
– natural and spontaneous behavior, as well as emotional response. This involves presenting yourself freely and openly, but at the same time respecting accepted social norms. A mature person will express his desires and feelings, but will choose a way to do this so as not to traumatize the mental state of others, observing etiquette and tolerance;
– relative involvement in world processes. A person is aware of major world events and social groups that are important to him, but is independent enough in his judgments not to succumb to propaganda and manipulation. A dose of humor and detachment allows you to not be too emotionally involved in global social processes, which gives you independence;
– there are no mercantile interests and artificial forms of behavior in the relationship. Instead, there is an acceptance of oneself and other people in the state in which they are natural and do not try to transform them into more convenient and profitable options;
– the presence of global goals and meanings and constant work on their implementation. This forces you to improve, develop, constantly move and be busy. Among such goals is usually something that has high spiritual value or practical significance for many people, rather than useful in the present moment;
– the process of achieving goals does not in any way adjust the moral values and aspirations of the individual. Sensitivity to injustice, the inability to betray one’s own ideals, combined with a high level of development, allow one to choose paths of achievement within the framework of one’s moral concept;
– relationships built in a narrow personal circle are usually long-term, deep, and open. In the context of such interaction, there is a joint development of partners and a constant deepening of knowledge of the inner world, both one’s own and that of another;
– creativity and sense of humor. These manifestations are spontaneous and natural; everyday situations and professional issues are suitable for their manifestation. In addition, such perception concerns one’s own qualities and relationships with others. Allows you to adapt more easily and quickly survive moments of crisis, and find simple and unexpected ways out of difficult situations.
Naturally, this automatically includes all the factors that determine an adult who bears full financial and criminal responsibility. A mature person is capable of bearing responsibility due to any legislative acts and documentary requirements.
Old age. Classification of personality adaptation to old age.
The classification proposed by D. B. Bromley is quite widely supported in the world psychological literature. She identifies five types of personality adaptation to old age:
1) A person’s constructive attitude towards old age, in which elderly and old people are internally balanced, have a good mood, and are satisfied with emotional contacts with people around them. They are moderately critical of themselves and at the same time very tolerant of others and their possible shortcomings. They do not dramatize the end of professional activity, have an optimistic attitude towards life, and interpret the possibility of death as a natural event that does not cause sadness and fear. Having not experienced too many traumas and shocks in the past, they show neither aggression nor depression, have lively interests and constant plans for the future. Thanks to their positive life balance, they confidently count on the help of others. The self-esteem of this group of elderly and old people is quite high.
2) Dependency relationship. A dependent personality is a person who is subordinate to someone, dependent on a marital partner or on his child, who does not have too high demands in life and, thanks to this, willingly leaves the professional environment. The family environment provides him with a sense of security, helps maintain internal harmony, emotional balance, and not experience any hostility or fear.
3) A defensive attitude, characterized by exaggerated emotional restraint; some straightforwardness in their actions and habits, a desire for “self-sufficiency” and a reluctant acceptance of help from other people. People of this type of adaptation to old age avoid expressing their own opinions and have difficulty sharing their problems and doubts. Sometimes they take a defensive position towards the whole family. Even if there are any claims and complaints against the family, they do not express them. The protective mechanism they use against the fear of death and deprivation is their activity “through force”, constant feeding by external actions. People with a defensive attitude towards advancing old age are very reluctant and only under pressure from others to leave their professional work.
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4) Attitude of hostility towards others. People with such an attitude are aggressive, explosive and suspicious, they strive to “shift” blame and responsibility for their own failures onto other people, and do not quite adequately assess reality. Distrust and suspicion make them withdraw into themselves and avoid contact with other people. They do their best to drive away the thought of retiring, because... use the mechanism of releasing tension through activity. Their life path, as a rule, was accompanied by numerous stresses and failures, many of which turned into nervous diseases. People belonging to this type of attitude towards old age are prone to acute reactions of fear, they do not perceive their old age, and think with despair about the progressive loss of strength. If all this is also combined with a hostile attitude towards young people, sometimes with the transfer of this attitude to the entire “new, alien world”. This kind of rebellion against their own old age is combined in these people with a strong fear of death.
5) The attitude of a person’s hostility towards himself. People of this type avoid memories because they have had many failures and difficulties in their lives. They are passive, do not rebel against their own old age, they only meekly accept what fate sends them. The inability to satisfy the need for love is the cause of depression, self-esteem and sadness.
Osteochondrosis
A spine that is not taken care of dries out and crumbles - like the stem of a flower that is forgotten to water regularly. The most common diseases of older people are related to the back: physical inactivity and age-related metabolic disorders lead to problems with blood circulation in this area. The result is crunching, creaking, pain, dizziness. But even young people—teenagers who live on smartphones, young office workers, those who like to lift weights, musicians and those who are always behind the wheel—get it from their backs. Uncomfortable chairs and lack of exercise lead to salt deposits and subsequent problems.
