Psychological Neoteny

Immaturity levels in adults are rising, apparently. Thank you, devolution. Though I can’t say this is wholly surprising. One needs to spend mere moments on websites where a large amount of people–adults included–gather to see the prevalance of immaturity. MySpace comes to mind, and the often childlike comments of Slashdot are part of the reason I no longer subscribe there anymore. Upon phpBB.com’s decision to enforce intelligent, mature discussion in their General Discussion forum (formerly a fairly carefree Chit Chat forum), the frequency of posts of any kind (new topics or replies) has noticeably dropped.

Whatever happened to what was spoken about in 1 Corinthians 13:11, which says, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”?

It is an interesting theory. What is so hard about maturity? And in what ways can I be more mature. I can think of quite a few actually.

To be mature is to be ripe or perfect, refined by time and experience. It is noticeable that it is the word of God which is capable of making am an fully perfect, fully mature, fully capable of all good works (2 Timothy 3:16,17). But in what position is the word of God held in today’s society?

2 thoughts on “Psychological Neoteny”

  1. Now, what do you mean by immaturity?

    There are definitely times I am immature, in case you haven’t noticed, but I can be mature when I want.

    Are you talking about a constant immaturity with no signs of actual maturity or growth? Or am I missing something?

    Unconfuse me!

  2. Colin: Especially at my mom’s house, I can get quite goofy. I don’t call “goofiness” (as you so often demonstrate in IRC) immaturity. I call it lightheartedness and merriment. My primary point of contact for most of the people I come across is at work, and it is easy to judge–rightly or wrongly, I don’t know–whether someone is really mature or not based upon how they act within the store. Personally, I tie being respectful in with being mature, and I think most others would as well; a great deal of people–especially teens and adults–walk through the aisles of the store with complete disregard to the thing called respect. But those who are careful to keep things as they were (or who even pick up something that they didn’t even drop!), I consider it a mark of maturity. And these are the people who will be the nicest people in the world to talk to when I greet them. That’s been my experience anyway.

    [/retail rant]

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