Psychological maturity of the individual and criteria for its diagnosis

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.

Definition of the concept

Psychological maturity of an individual is a person’s ability for self-realization, based on his ability to adequately perceive the situation and effectively interact with other people. Naturally, to achieve maturity a person must have physical and mental health.

An example of the maturity of the characters of two adults is a happy marriage in which spouses take care of each other, meet each other’s needs, and help their partner develop. Mature spouses do not demand anything from each other, but find happiness in doing something for the chosen one on their own initiative, responding to each other’s emotional needs.

Acceptance of feelings

It's about being honest with yourself. A mature person is open to life experience and accepts the full range of his own feelings. And not just the socially approved ones. The environment often encourages you to repress sadness, anger, irritability and other negative emotions. From childhood, parents teach: “don’t cry,” “don’t show excitement,” “don’t worry.” But if emotions are constantly repressed, in the future they will become the root cause of uncontrollable behavior in the most unexpected moments.

Psychological maturity implies living through the feelings that arise. Only this method allows us to control our own behavior, to be tolerant not only towards ourselves, but also towards other people. If a person is aware of his reactions, then he is able to competently regulate his responses.

Signs

Mandatory components of psychological maturity are:

understanding the emotions and moods of others;
sincerity and openness in expressing your emotions and thoughts;
adequate self-esteem and natural behavior;
flexibility in communication and assessments;
empathy, willingness to help a person;
the ability to find a common language with any interlocutor;
developed sense of humor;
the ability to make a request to someone;
the ability to unconditionally accept another person and sincere high love;
tolerance;
law-abidingness, compliance with norms and ethical rules of behavior in society;
refusal to use reproaches, accusations, aggression, insults, manipulation, criticism in interpersonal communication;
the ability to admit one’s mistakes and accept the point of view of a communication partner;
self-sufficiency and independence in judgments, actions, assessments;
self-acceptance, systematic work to correct negative character traits;
independence in making decisions and meeting needs;
the ability and willingness to take responsibility for one’s life;
the ability to clearly define one’s personal boundaries, respect the personal boundaries of another person;
the ability to refuse a person and not feel guilty;
the need to realize one’s creative and intellectual potential;
the need to learn new things, the desire for self-development and self-improvement;
low level of anxiety, lack of fear of loss;
weak need for approval from strangers and management;
the ability to feel comfortable both in the company of people and alone;
recognition of one's own uniqueness, refusal to compare oneself with other people.

The main life principle of a mature person is to live in the present. He does not cling to the past, but extracts from it useful experience for the present. Such a person does not dream about the future, but plans his every next step in the present.

Early: examples

Early maturation of the individual can occur in the event of strong emotional upheavals in life .

Thus, children left without parents realize the reality of their capabilities much earlier than their peers.

They the ability for critical thinking, a sense of responsibility for themselves, independence and practicality earlier

Children who have lost one of their parents also have a chance of growing up earlier, since they unconsciously try on the role of a departed family member, and are simply forced to develop more independently.

Early maturation is sometimes a characteristic feature of a person about whom they say “sir by nature.” But such situations exist rather as an exception to the rule, since appropriate circumstances are needed for the full development of such a trait.

Also, early adulthood is typical for people who survived wartime, serious illnesses of close relatives, or divorce. All these situations are united by a negative connotation and loss : a way of life, a loved one.

Under these conditions, a colossal leap in emotional perception and intelligence occurs, and the realistic knowledge of the world and oneself is also stimulated.

Levels of psychological maturity

The level of psychological maturity is related to the level of social maturity and the degree of socialization of the individual, since the signs of a mature person are largely related to the characteristics of his interaction with other people. The wider the circle of a person’s social contacts, the higher the level of maturity of his character.

Psychologists distinguish the following levels of psychological maturity of an individual, which are also criteria for its diagnosis:

High level. It is possessed by tolerant and responsible people who strive for self-development and learning new things. These are extroverts who have positive thinking. Such people come out of conflict situations with dignity.
Average level. This level is characteristic of people who are able to easily express their emotions and correctly understand the emotional state of their communication partners. However, in controversial situations, they are not ready to take the position of the interlocutor. They lack tolerance. To successfully resolve conflicts, they need to overcome their stubbornness and develop flexibility.
Low level. People with a low level of personal maturity are infantile, they often become the initiators of conflicts. In a decision-making situation, they prefer to follow the instructions of an authoritative person.

About age

All levels of maturity are associated with a personal crisis. F. Perls believes that its main indicator is the ability to find a way out of a deadlock situation, relying on one’s own resources. Maturity allows you to overcome frustration and fear, being able to take risks and make responsible decisions. But J.-M. Robin, for example, who generally shares the opinion of his colleague, believes it is possible to perceive help from the outside. The main indicator of personal immaturity, in his opinion, is helplessness

And finding a way out of a dead end, no matter through personal resources or with the help of others, is an indicator of adulthood

Psychological age may not coincide at all with calendar age. And at the age of 15, there are absolutely mature individuals, and at 30, there are people who are not capable of taking responsibility for their actions and actions. In order to understand, let’s take a closer look at the psychological characteristics of maturity. The authors identify a different number of features; we will focus on the most significant ones, which will be discussed below.

What is the difference between psychological and social maturity

Today, psychologists have come to understand that psychological maturity is the psychosocial age of the individual. However, this does not mean that psychological maturity is identical to social maturity. The level of development of an individual determines a person’s social success.

Personal maturity presupposes a high level of development in a person of socially significant qualities: willpower, responsibility, activity, initiative. It constitutes the moral and ethical basis of the individual and determines his readiness for independent life, for creating a strong family and for the proper upbringing of children.

Social maturity characterizes the degree of development of an individual’s communication skills and his ability to interact. It manifests itself in the form of predictability, adequacy and mental stability of the individual during communication. Outside of a communication situation, social competence cannot be demonstrated. The psychological competence of an individual is manifested in any activity in which a person is engaged: in work, in everyday affairs.

Development of self-knowledge

What else characterizes psychological maturity? The characteristics of this personality include the development of self-knowledge. Because without understanding yourself, it is impossible to effectively build communications with others. This process promotes a realistic attitude towards oneself and a better understanding of others.

A mature person must be aware of what she wants to achieve in life, what is important to her and what is not. She constantly adjusts her values. She should not become a reflection of the hopes of others, but must act guided by her own convictions. This allows you to feel strong in interpersonal contacts.

Factors motivating to work

internal - satisfaction with the work process itself and the significance of the result obtained, external - remuneration, material incentives, recognition in the team of employees and in the professional environment in general. A person already realistically assesses his abilities, adjusts his life values and level of aspirations.

Psycho-cognitive processes develop unevenly during this period. The intellectual development of a person who has reached early maturity goes hand in hand with the formation or transformation of his personality. Although the development of psychophysical functions stops by the age of 25, intellectual development continues for many years.

An adult can control the course of his intellectual development and achieve significant results related to work or creativity. Success

a person depends on the level of his abilities, level of education and the right type of activity. This fact indicates that the development of a person’s cognitive sphere is individually determined.

Self-awareness, self-esteem, and "self-worth" are influenced by a person's self-definition as a sexual partner, spouse, parent, professional, and citizen.

In accordance with the awareness of one’s own physical characteristics, awareness of psychological age, professional orientation, basic personal and social attitudes, the integral “I-concept” includes new formations that reflect personal maturity.

During this period, there is a normative crisis at the age of 30-33 years. This is due to the discrepancy between a person’s life plans and real opportunities. At this age, life values are reviewed and irrelevant values are discarded.

The period of early adulthood is characterized by mastering professional activities, self-improvement, creating a family, raising children, and the specifics of organizing free time (leisure), which makes it possible to realize untapped human potential.

Thus, each sphere of human activity is characterized by a specific nature of actions and communication: work is a socially useful activity, family is the concentration and variety of interpersonal relationships, leisure is the realization of personal potential.

The leading factor of development during this period is professional activity, and the main tasks of early adulthood are self-determination and creating a family.

Resilience to Uncertainty

Many people get lost in situations that lack clarity and lack structure. But a person often has to enter someone else's territory, so he needs confidence in the absence of certainty. We often don't know what problem we'll face or what decisions we'll have to make. Confidence in one’s own intuition, the adequacy of feelings, confidence in the constructiveness of decisions and the ability to take justifiable risks - all this helps a person to endure the tension created by uncertainty. This is also the lot of mature individuals.

Three stages of adulthood

— Early maturity (youth);
- average mature age (maturity);
— Late adulthood (aging and old age).

Youth is, first of all, the time to start a family.

Young age is, first of all, the time of creating a family and establishing family life, the time of mastering the chosen profession and the first significant achievements in it, which determine the attitude towards public life and one’s role in it. In youth, the most complex types of work are available, communication is the most complete and intense, friendships and love relationships are easily established and fully developed.

The main emotional problem that must be addressed in early adulthood is the achievement of identity and intimacy.

Emotional intimacy in human relationships is the basis of love. The feeling of love is deeply intimate and is accompanied by situationally arising and changing emotions of tenderness, delight, jealousy, which are often expressed in the form of anger, sadness, anger, resentment, disappointment and other emotions. Love covers a fairly wide range of emotional phenomena, varying in depth, strength and other characteristics: from relatively weakly expressed relationships (sympathies) to completely exciting human experiences that reach the power of passion.

Raising a family is extremely important for personal development. A person acquires a new status associated with the responsibility for continuing the family and raising the next generation. With the birth of their first child, the spouses begin to master the parental roles of father and mother. The whole way of life changes, new responsibilities appear, new aspects of responsibility towards each other and a new general responsibility for the person who is born. A complex of emotions associated with fatherhood develops, including the joy of communicating with the child and experiencing it.

Affection and trust, special sensitivity to the needs of the child, a sense of interest, admiration and pride for the child.

Creating a family and having children is a very important step in the life of every person, which is determined by the following motives: love, spiritual intimacy, material calculation, psychological compatibility and moral considerations. The future of the family will depend on what values a person will be guided by when creating a family.

The second important aspect of life in adolescence is mastering the chosen profession. A person succeeds in this and acquires professional skills. In youth, it is easier to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to work in a profession; a person is the most productive, can withstand the greatest physical and mental stress, and is most capable of mastering complex methods of intellectual activity. The required special personal and functional qualities develop: organizational skills, initiative, resourcefulness, accuracy and precision, quick reaction, etc.

If a person chooses a successful path in life, then already in adolescence he reaches a fairly high level of mastery in the profession and his objective recognition. With the championship comes a sense of professional competence.

It has been noticed that as people approach 30, romantic values at work are replaced by more practical ones. The following items become basic.

The body of a mature person

Having touched on the psychology and personal characteristics of maturity, let us remember the physiological side of this period.

At maturity, the human body reaches its peak of development. Appearance and basic facial features are fully formed. Hormonal processes are stabilized. But depending on the human phenotype and certain physiological characteristics of each individual, changes in the body may differ.

So, someone becomes more fat deposits throughout the body or in certain areas of it. Someone, on the contrary, gains muscle mass and builds a body that they never thought of at a young age. Some people start to turn grey, while others' hair may change color. In this age period, a lot is possible and there is something to be surprised about.

Don't forget that you fill your life with meaning and determine your inner age. What difference does it make to you 30 or 40 if you have aspirations and desires? The only difference is that in adulthood there are many more opportunities and resources for their implementation. So don’t miss the chance and move forward to new achievements!