[Mannosuke]

Due to some unusual circumstances, I find myself having to answer to questions such as "what makes someone mature?" Of course, I generally set myself up in these situations, but that's a minor detail.

From time to time I go around and see compliments ranging from other readers saying "you're so mature for your age" to kids bragging about how "I'm just a kid, but I'm more mature than you harhar" (re: game forums like gaiaonline. Woot)

I find the dictionary completely useless as it would talk about being "adult" and "wise", which are rather subjective and then would have to accept the fact that "adults" behave in certain ways (in a general sense. No need for counterexamples).

1: When you say someone is mature, what makes them so?
2: And more implicitly, when you say they're mature "for their age", does that bear ANY relevance whatsoever to the fact that the person's mature?

EDIT: More importantly, what makes you IMMATURE? Since maturity is simply what immaturity isn't, thus it is easier to describe what it means to be immature.

I personally can't come up with a persuasive explanation.

[jjong_yoon]

one that does not enter a fanwar and get all anal is mature enough.

[ShadowMax76]

if someone calls them self mature. that's a sure sign they're not. x_X' well, i like to think so.


1: When you say someone is mature, what makes them so?
i don't. though i do think it. i guess it's more of a "wow. you're not naive or childish, but really open, understanding, self-empowered and independent."
in other words. developed.

2: And more implicitly, when you say they're mature "for their age", does that bear ANY relevance whatsoever to the fact that the person's mature?
x_X' eh. when i think they're mature for their age. o-0' kinda hard not to , since maturity is something of self-development.

[itrayya]

maturity is not laughing at someone when something embarrassing has happened to them.
maturity is being able to give up something and not be selfish.
etc.

i think maturity comes in a lot of different ways.
i can't explain what maturity is to a needle,
but i can soooooo see and explain what immaturity is

and i do believe that maturity DOES NOT come with age, although one would think that it should.
there are many adults who still think and act very immaturely, yes.
and there are like, 6th graders who are matured and well developed.

*rants on with her gibberish*

[DOVAHKIIN]

A question about MATURITY...

... ON SOOMPI?

*Smacks himself*

[aznkc]

Maturity is not acting childish in every way and know how to act normal in different situations. Maturity also comes with responsibilities.

[country_pumpkin]

maturity is not laughing at someone when something embarrassing has happened to them.
maturity is being able to give up something and not be selfish.
etc.

i think maturity comes in a lot of different ways.
i can't explain what maturity is to a needle,
but i can soooooo see and explain what immaturity is

and i do believe that maturity DOES NOT come with age, although one would think that it should.
there are many adults who still think and act very immaturely, yes.
and there are like, 6th graders who are matured and well developed.

*rants on with her gibberish*

Wow! I absolutely agree with you. You must be mature ^
And I think the more you communicate with ppl in society, the more you gain life experiences, so I'll be mature

[I Cook With A Flashlight]

maturity is not laughing at someone when something embarrassing has happened to them.
maturity is being able to give up something and not be selfish.
etc.

i think maturity comes in a lot of different ways.
i can't explain what maturity is to a needle,
but i can soooooo see and explain what immaturity is

and i do believe that maturity DOES NOT come with age, although one would think that it should.
there are many adults who still think and act very immaturely, yes.
and there are like, 6th graders who are matured and well developed.

*rants on with her gibberish*

So a mature person must be uptight about every single thing and be self-less? If so, there are not many mature people in the world.

[KanyeWEST]

are you stupid? how do you not know what maturity is? oh thats right, you post on gaiaonline

1: When you say someone is mature, what makes them so?
they don't act immature.

2: And more implicitly, when you say they're mature "for their age", does that bear ANY relevance whatsoever to the fact that the person's mature?
and yeah, why wouldn't it be relevant?

[Han's_Desire]

You'll know that you're mature if you didn't drool on your sleep or you fall in love.

[Mannosuke]

are you stupid? how do you not know what maturity is? oh thats right, you post on gaiaonline

1: When you say someone is mature, what makes them so?
they don't act immature.

2: And more implicitly, when you say they're mature "for their age", does that bear ANY relevance whatsoever to the fact that the person's mature?
and yeah, why wouldn't it be relevant?

So, what would "immature" mean then?

Attempting to show by example and then having me negate your logic doesn't actually get you anywhere closer to the answer.

But in this case it'd probably be easier to filter out all the qualities that make you immature and everything else is simply mature (cause you've leveled up, so to speak).

People could probably draw accurate examples to support their train of thought.

[LennyRin]

one that does not enter a fanwar and get all anal is mature enough.

hahah LOL i like this one agreed!

A question about MATURITY...

... ON SOOMPI?

*Smacks himself*

pUhahahahahh LOL.. i like this one too..

wow.. i guess im not that mature afterall kkkkkkk

maturity is not laughing at someone when something embarrassing has happened to them.
maturity is being able to give up something and not be selfish.
etc.

if someone slipped and fell..i laugh.. but i initially feel bad.. its like a reaction.. it just happens.. the laugh just spills out.. besides i always ask to see if they are okay and help them out.. even if im laughing wether it be on the outside or the inside.. does that still make me immature? ... depends what you give up.. am i supposed to be the bigger person and give up all my hopes and dreams for what my parents want? is that being mature? .. am i supposed to give up a loved one.. like in the dramas becuase that is less selfish? .. heck, if i was starving to death and a child was starving to death of course i would give him food.. idk.. maturity can be alot of things.. upon how you view them..

i guess im just mature in my own way..

[IPwnx3]

mature is the opposite of me ><

[Mannosuke]

if someone slipped and fell..i laugh.. but i initially feel bad.. its like a reaction.. it just happens.. the laugh just spills out.. besides i always ask to see if they are okay and help them out.. even if im laughing wether it be on the outside or the inside.. does that still make me immature? ... depends what you give up.. am i supposed to be the bigger person and give up all my hopes and dreams for what my parents want? is that being mature? .. am i supposed to give up a loved one.. like in the dramas becuase that is less selfish? .. heck, if i was starving to death and a child was starving to death of course i would give him food.. idk.. maturity can be alot of things.. upon how you view them..

i guess im just mature in my own way..

Indeed, maturity IS quite subjective.
Take for example any arbitrary topic on some sensitive topic (say, human ethics for convenience sakes)

If someone came in and started trolling the place up, he would be immature.
If someone came in and said things that the majority completely object, he would be immature.
If someone came in and said things that everyone else liked, he would be mature. Possibly for his age as well if he came in saying he's only 12 and spewing all this stuff we like.

Why is this so? There appears to be some trend between your opinions and how mature you are with respect to your peers and what they believe in.

Someone who blatantly states "ignorant" and "foolish" ideas are simply "immature" and need to "grow up" and "learn how the world works".

[ShadowMax76]

^ as you've probably already figured out, people only call others immature as a synonym to 'idiot' .
as a society, we ignore the idiots.

but just because someone does something stupid, it doesn't mean they're immature. not necessarily anyways.

_ if you want me to say "trolls are people who put an idiot mask on", then i will. maturity is to have a greater view of things/themselves, and choose to hurt or not hurt others above an emotional/personal level. i think..

[koezane]

i think maturity is about being able to take responsibility for other people, for doing things and for the need to become financially successful and independent.

if yiou can't do that then you are just "acting" being mature without any real maturity.

all my cousins and uncles and all are REALLY mature. successful, careers, houses cars businesses skyscrapers etc

[RiderKamen]

When you are in a immature situation or state, you realize that your a grown azz person or could do better and be more practical.

^ as you've probably already figured out, people only call others immature as a synonym to 'idiot' .
as a society, we ignore the idiots.

but just because someone does something stupid, it doesn't mean they're immature. not necessarily anyways.

_ if you want me to say "trolls are people who put an idiot mask on", then i will. maturity is to have a greater view of things/themselves, and choose to hurt or not hurt others above an emotional/personal level. i think..

I think we ignore the intellects but that's a different story.

[joie.de.vivre]

Maturity is all about discrimination. that's riiight~~





a mature person can discriminate between...
- good and bad
- responsible and irresponsible
- smart and stupid
- "worth it" and worthless
- apples and oranges
- appearance and reality
- right and wrong

and i could go on and on...

a wise person can do what a mature person can do and always pick the correct one.

oh, and maturity and wisdom never necessarily correlate with age, of course

[Mannosuke]

After some hours of thought and brainstorming and looking over a couple posts in this thread and other forums, I have arrived back at the dictionary definition and will settle with it.

Maturity is measured by one's ability to make a good or even the best decision (ie: possesses "good judgment") depending on the situation at hand. The ability to distinguish between dichotomies as suggested above influences this judgment.

Because maturity is based on subjective terms, it would be impossible to determine what exactly makes someone mature or not. Although good judgment varies from person to person, we can generalize how "good" it is by looking at the pros and cons and making some attempt to optimize them for everyone. Hence everything is relative to each other for that specific situation and is independent from everything else.

Hence if one were to call another immature, it means one has already considered various solutions to a certain problem and has concluded that the actions that were taken were NOT "one of the better ones" out there and are able to provide an acceptable alternative that the majority will approve of when asked upon.

[ax1989]

Lol, your topics are always about '...what is the meaning of THIS' or 'what does it mean by THIS'

Curious child, I see, Mannosuke.

Anyway, mature I think usually happens with age, and being able to think in a higher perspective and be able to place themselves in other people's shoes and see the world at different points of view. Basically a broad understanding of life and world - maturity also goes hand in hand with knowledge.