9 Examples of Adulthood

John Spacey, February 11, 2022

Adulthood is a human developmental stage whereby an individual reaches peak maturity such that they are fully capable and responsible. The following are illustrative examples.

Real World

You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.
― Ayn Rand

Adulthood is the capacity to fully participate in the real world. Adults effectively run the world and engage in politics, debate, creative tension, competition, cooperation and productive pursuits that create all quality of life.

Responsibility & Accountability

Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.
― Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

Adults are fully responsible and accountable for their actions. They commonly take on roles that afford them additional responsibilities such as the head of a household, team or organization.

Resilience

Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.
—Epictetus

Personal resilience is a modern term for stoicism -- the ability to deal with stresses and problems without collapsing into self-pity and complaint. For example, a pilot who deals with an aircraft malfunction in a task-focused and methodical way without becoming distracted by their stress levels.

Intentionality

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Man's Search For Meaning

Intentionality is the ability to determine your own values, purpose and direction in life.

Self-discipline

Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
― Abraham Joshua Heschel

Self-discipline is the ability to do what you intend to do. For example, the ability to work continuously on something until it's done.

Rational Behavior

When I disagree with a rational man, I let reality be our final arbiter; if I am right, he will learn; if I am wrong, I will; one of us will win, but both will profit.”
― Ayn Rand

Adults can be optimistic, pessimistic, realistic, pragmatic, emotional, imaginative or skeptical but are expected to be at least somewhat reasonable whereby they can communicate and cooperate with others in rational ways.

Civility

... I was beginning to realize that the adult world was as nonsensically brutal and socially perilous as the kingdom of childhood.
― Peter Cameron, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You

Civility is the practice of resolving disputes within the rules of a society and culture. This calls for maturity whereby you don't act out on emotion. For example, tolerating a little noise from a neighbor because you know you sometimes make a little noise yourself.

Peter Pan Syndrome

Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again.
~ J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Peter pan syndrome is a term for people over 20 who actively delay adulthood by avoiding adult challenges such as responsibility, accountability, competition and cooperation. This can be based on motivated reasoning whereby an individual imagines that adults are necessarily boring or otherwise uninspiring.

Youthful Adult

I am still every age that I have been.
~ Madeleine L'Engle

Youthful thinking does have great value as seeing the world in an imaginative, innocent and playful light is not only wonderful, it is important to creativity. Adults commonly retain their ability to be youthful such that adulthood isn't a final state but rather a capability that can be used as required. For example, a parent who can play with their kids with the full joy and openness of youth but also deals with realities such as finances or office politics in a reasonably capable way.

Age of Majority

The age of majority is the age at which an individual is legally considered an adult. This is often between 18 and 21 depending on the nation and state. It is common for people to feel, looking back on life, that they didn't fully mature until around age 40.