Maturity Continuum: What Is It and How It Influences Growth
by Blog Contributor | June 14, 2024 | Life Journey | 0 Comments
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The more exposed people are to the world, the more they realize the errors in their beliefs and adjust to new information. This constant alteration is called the maturity continuum. Here’s a profound breakdown of what happens throughout.
It’s an age-old belief that people become more mature as they age.
It does seem logical, given that people will experience more of the world and learn from it. But science has proven that there’s more to consider regarding maturity than people’s years. Their environment, racial, and cultural background also influence how well they perceive and receive the world.
A Reflection of Life and How Dynamic People Can Be
ReadersMagnet’s new author, David Solbach, is a testament to how differently people mature.
In his book First There Was Music, readers get a glimpse of how much he had altered his beliefs throughout his life. His cultural background played a massive role in molding how he initially saw the world, his erroneous beliefs stemming from what he was exposed to growing up. Hence, he can’t necessarily take the blame for how he was, regardless of his age.
He recognizes the mistakes in his opinions, admitting how he lacked not only wisdom but maturity during his earlier and even later years. He had only corrected these thoughts when he opened his world more, interacting with people from other walks of life and observing how they live. For David, it’s not age that set his mind straight. Instead, it’s these experiences.
To read more of David Solbach’s story, grab a copy of his book First There Was Music!
While age does play a part in molding how people perceive the world, it’s not an automatic telltale sign to define people’s maturity. Simply because one is older doesn’t mean they’re expected to be wiser, let alone more mature. Not everyone develops in the same way at the same time. It may be possible that age affects certain biological developments that also influence people’s maturity. But there is also more proof that age isn’t as much of a consequential factor in growth.
Instead of factoring people’s age, maturity is a continuum in phases.
It’s not contingent on their age but rather dependent on how much they’ve learned and what they’ve endured in life. Such an ideology is referred to as the maturity continuum.
What Is This Personal Development Concept About?
Coined by Stephen Coven, maturity continuum defines the process of personal growth as an upward-moving spiral consisting of three different levels.
He similarly portrays maturity to how people take the stairs, reflecting how he perceives it as a proactive process rather than a passive one. Sticking to this metaphor, people are believed to take the time and effort to progress across the different maturity levels just as they do on the stairs. There’s a decisive resolution to take the next step, a conscious decision not to settle on a current level.
From this explanation, the maturity continuum is a process people seek, not something that occurs naturally. It’s entirely up to them whether they’ll strive to be in a better disposition than where they are currently, a personal decision they would have to carry throughout their lives.
Everyone experiences the maturity continuum. After all, it’s imperative that everyone seek to be more mature as they grow. They desire not only more knowledge but also an advanced perception of the world, for this is integral to how they enjoy and live life. The only difference in how people go through the process is how progressive they are—the speed at which they mature.
What Are the Three Levels of Maturity Continuum?
The maturity continuum encompasses how developed people have become in terms of their emotional intelligence, intellectual growth, and social skills, factors that take time and support to develop. This is where the idea that maturity develops through levels is based.
Given the complexities involved in maturity, the process has been separated into three distinct phases: dependent, independent, and interdependent. As people go through life, they develop and move across these three paradigms before they may fully consider themselves genuinely mature.
Understanding what each stage encompasses helps guide people through their growth.
These stages of maturity in humans define how well they perceive and receive the world. People’s views of their surroundings will also change depending on their practice.
Dependence
This first level of maturity continuum captures how people initially rely on others in their early stages. Hence, their beliefs, behaviors, and choices are primarily dependent on their caregivers, taking away any autonomy over themselves. At this level, they can’t separate themselves from the people they directly interact with, as their needs are satisfied by them.
Independence
After years of reliance, people begin to withdraw from their caregivers. They grow physically and mentally, creating a self that is able to care for and fend for itself. They learn to form opinions and beliefs of their own as they learn to be independent of others. During this stage, people veer closer towards self-reliance, where they’re able to meet their own needs.
Interdependence
This is the last and highest level of the maturity continuum. During this stage, people learn to share themselves and their resources with others not only for their benefit but also for others.
They seek to build not only themselves but also those around them, creating rewarding relationships and meaningful communities. Throughout these phases, people learn to shift from being focused externally to internally until they reach a stage where they can blend these stages together.
The maturity continuum encourages people to find enlightenment in how they’ve grown throughout their lives. This highlights the changes they have undergone to thrive and survive in the world. From dependence to independence, people realize how they’re able to authentically express themselves and connect with others. They live through their strengths, which complement the world around them.
