See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/352721856

SOCIAL MATURITY: KEY OF WELL-BEING

Article · January 2021

CITATIONS READS
0 7,302

2 authors, including:

Jaya Bharti
CSJM University
71 PUBLICATIONS 37 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Jaya Bharti on 25 June 2021.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

SOCIAL MATURITY: KEY OF WELL-BEING

DR. ARCHANA KUMARI ANAND *

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF HOME SCIENCE
A.N.D.N.N.M.M. (C.S.J.M.U.) KANPUR

DR. JAYA BHARTI **

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
A.N.D.N.N.M.M. (C.S.J.M.U.) KANPUR
12
ABSTRACT
Social Maturity is a personal commitment each individual must make as the attitude that will
influence his/her daily lives. Individuals can opt for the socially immature attitude of self
centeredness or they can opt for the socially mature attitude of genuine concern for the
total well being of each other. Maturity is the ability to respond to the environment in an
appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctive, and is not
determined by one's age. Maturity also encompasses being aware of the correct time and
place to behave and knowing when to act appropriately, according to the circumstances and
the culture of the society one lives in. Adult development and maturity theories include the
purpose in life concept, in which maturity emphasizes a clear comprehension of life's
purpose, directedness, and intentionality which, contributes to the feeling that life is
meaningful. The status of maturity is distinguished by the shift away from reliance on
guardianship and the oversight of an adult in decision making acts.
KEYWORDS: Maturity, Social Maturity

A young child can be accepted if he is socially immature but not the Human-being.
An immature Human-being creates problems with his family, peer group and society so it is
necessary for Human-being to acquire more mature pattern of behavior to be accepted by
society and to be socially matured. The social maturity has various aspects of social abilities
as self sufficiency, occupational activities, communication, self-direction and social
participation
Maturity has different definitions across legal, social, sexual, Social, and intellectual
contexts. The age or qualities assigned for each of these contexts are tied to culturally-
significant indicators of independence that often vary as a result of religious or social
sentiments. The concept of psychological maturity has implications across both legal and
social contexts, while a combination of political activism and scientific evidence continue to
reshape and qualify its definition. Even so, both principles of maturity and immaturity share a
long history in human evolution and have far-reaching implications for the timing and
duration of sexual and physical development.
Jerome Bruner proposed the purpose of the period of immaturity as being a time for
experimental play without serious consequences, where a young animal can spend a great
deal of time observing the actions of skilled others in coordination with oversight by and
activity with its mother. The key to human innovation through the use of symbols and tools,
therefore, is re-interpretive imitation that is “practiced, perfected, and varied in play” through
extensive exploration of the limits on one’s ability to interact with the world. Evolutionary
psychologists have also hypothesized that cognitive immaturity may serve an adaptive
purpose as a protective barrier for children against their own under-developed meta-cognition
and judgment, a vulnerability that may put them in harm’s way.] For youth today, the steadily
extending period of ‘play’ and schooling going into the 21st century comes as a result of the

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 862

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

increasing complexity of our world and its technologies, which too demand an increasing
intricacy of skill as well as a more exhaustive set of prerequisite abilities. Many of the
behavioural and Social problems associated with adolescence may arise as children cope with
the increased demands placed on them, demands which have become increasingly abstracted
from the work and expectations of adulthood.
“Social Maturity is the process of appropriate attitude for personal,
interpersonal and social adequacies of an individual which are essential for functioning
effectively in the society.” Hurlock says, that a social mature individual conforms not so
much because he approves of existing patterns of behaviour or because of fear of others but
to realize that each individual must be willing to fit his wishes into the pattern approved by
the group as a whole.
Raj, M. defines social maturity as the level of social skills and awareness that an
individual has achieved relative to particular norms related to an age group. It is a measure of
the development competence of an individual with regard to interpersonal relations,
behaviour appropriateness, social problem solving and judgment. Social responsibility, also a
sub-trait of social maturity, defined as "adherence to social rules and role expectations", by
Wentzel (1991b) is instrumental in the acquisition of academic knowledge and skills. A few
researches have been conducted on Social Maturity of Human-being.
Anderson (1939) has very aptly, pointed out, “Growth and development are not merely
changes in physical size or body proportions changes occurs in almost every relation
within and without the human being.” “Social maturity involves learning to properly
relate to acquaintances, family, neighbors, friends, and intimate relationships. It
involves understanding how to honor and respect those in authority.” Social
performance, sociable and pre-social behavior, social inhibition and withdrawal are some of
the traits associated with the psychosocial maturity of an individual. They are either the
components or the resultants of social maturity. How an individual performs in an
environment also depends largely on how he or she has adapted or adjusted to it. Adjustment
is a built–in mechanism for coping with the problematic or other realities of life. Adjustment
has been considered as an index to integration; a harmonious behavior of the individual by
which other individuals of society recognize that the person is well adjusted (Pathak, 1990).
Optimal adjustment to the learning environment seems to be a precursor to maximizing
achievement of students. School psychologists often come across numerous cases in which a
child performing brilliantly at one school is unable to actualize his potential at a different
school or class.
Social Maturity is a term commonly used in two ways like, with respect to the behavior that
is appropriate to the age of the individual under observation and secondly the behavior that
conforms to the standard and expectations of the adults. Thus Social Maturity permits more
detailed perception of the social environment which helps Human-being to influence the
social circumstances and develop stable patterns of social behavior. Raj.M defines social
maturity as the level of social skills and awareness that an individual has achieved relative to
particular norms related to an age group. It is a measure of the development competence of an
individual with regard to interpersonal relations, behavior appropriateness, social problem
solving and judgment.
Social responsibility, also a sub-trait of social maturity, defined as "adherence to
social rules and role expectations", by Wentzel (1991b) is instrumental in the acquisition of
academic knowledge and skills. Social responsibility makes two contributions to learning: (1)
Behaving responsibly can aid learning by promoting positive interactions with teacher and
peers, e.g. peer sharing of materials or exchanging help with assignments; (2) Students‟ goals
to be compliant and responsible can constrain and enhance the learning process, e.g. pupils‟
striving to complete assignments on time to comply with requirements.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 863

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

The maturity marks the end of growth and development. In some aspects of
development, maturity of structure and function comes at fairly early age, whereas, in other it
comes later development comes from maturation and learning. The concept is concerned with
the force, inside and outside the individual. The social maturity as a term is used commonly
in two ways. Firstly, in reference to the behavior that conforms to the standards and
expectations of the adults and secondly in reference to the behavior that is appropriate to the
age of the individual under observation (Srivastava, 1987). Psychologists usually use
maturity in the second sense.

Stages of Social Maturity:

Stage 1 (Child 3-8yrs) When you are younger you are usually more shy and want your
parents to be with you all the time. It’s hard for little kids to make friends because they are
used to always having their mom or dad around and they do not know how to talk to others.
Their feelings get hurt a lot easier and they take things a lot more serious which limits their
social lives. Little kids don't really like to share or be around other kids because they are
complete strangers and sometimes come off as enemies.
Stage 2 (Pre-teen 9-13) This age is the "awkward" age for most people. No one really knows
who their real friends are and just go with the flow. Around the end of middle school you
start talking to the opposite gender comfortably. You are kind of restricted in middle school
so you aren't really able to try everything you want to which doesn't let you make a lot of
mistakes. Since you don't make mistakes, you don't get to mature as much. This is a confused
age along with when you reach high school you still don't really understand what’s
happening.
Stage 3 (Teen 14-18) When you become a teen you develop more feelings towards other
people. Your body begins to change and you can handle more tasks and challenges more and
more as you mature. In your teen years you have more relationships such as
boyfriends/girlfriends and friends. You want to make more friends and you want to become
social because if you don't have a social life you get labeled a "loser" and a "loner." This is
the time where you tend to make more mistakes and learn from them so you can mature
more. You have more opportunities and goals that show how much you have matured
throughout the past years.
Stage 4 (18+ Adulthood) When you are an adult you are more independent and matured then
you were as a teen. Although you have a stronger understanding of life, you still have a lot
you could learn from. Such as getting married, having kids, and a stable job can really affect
how you mature. When you enter adulthood, you learn to respect others no matter who they
are or what age they are. Being an adult you know your limits and when to stop, making you
more responsible. After adulthood has come in on you, you have basically completed your
social maturity.

On the other hand, Well-being is the experience of Socially mature self,

health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life
satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress. More generally,
well-being is just feeling well. Well-being is something sought by just about everyone,
because it includes so many positive things — feeling happy, healthy, socially connected, and
purposeful.

Well-being is also a predictor of academic success and involves cognitive and

psychosocial elements. Generating well-being among Human-beings need to be deal with as
they are a pillar of a developing nation and a generation that will shape a harmonious

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 864

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

society. Social maturity crops an environment of trust, active co-operation, harmony, and
passive co-existence while social immaturity, on the other hand, discord, confrontation and
unrest produces a climate of fear. Parents, teachers, society and educational organizations
play a vital role in increasing not only emotional maturity, intellectual or but too social
maturity which is an important indicator of a developed society. An overall sense of wellness
will not be achieved without having a balance in these key elements:

 Physical. This includes lifestyle choices that affect the functioning of our bodies.
What we eat and how active we are will affect our physical wellbeing.
 Emotional or psychological. This is our ability to cope with everyday life and reflects
how we think and feel about ourselves.
 Social. This is the extent that we feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion. The
way we communicate with others, our relationships, values, beliefs, lifestyles and
traditions are all important factors of social wellbeing.
 Spiritual. This is the ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in life.
Achieved through being connected to our inner self, to nature or even a greater power.
 Intellectual. It is important to gain and maintain intellectual wellness as it helps us to
expand our knowledge and skills in order to live an enjoyable and successful life.
 Economic. Economic wellness, in short, is our ability to meet our basic needs and feel
a sense of security.

The well-being is a type of value sometimes it’s called prudential value to be illustrious
from, for example aesthetic value or moral value. What results it out is the notion of good for.
The peacefulness of a Vermeer painting for example is a type of goodness, but it is not good
for the painting. It may be good for us to consider such serenity, but contemplating
peacefulness is not the same as the peacefulness itself. Similarly giving money to a
development charity may have moral value that is be ethically good and the effects of my
contribution may be good for others. Although, well-being is different in different individuals
and situations but in fact it’s an interwoven structure of many dimensions that balances the
physical, psychological and social wellness as a whole and in integrity.

MAJOR TYPES OF WELL-BEING

 Emotional Well-Being. The ability to practice stress-management and relaxation

techniques, be resilient, boost self-love, and generate the emotions that lead to good
feelings. To develop emotional well-being, we need to build emotional skills — skills
like positivity, emotion regulation, and mindfulness, for example. Often, we need to
build a variety of these skills to cope with the wide variety of situations we encounter
in our lives.
 Physical Well-Being. The ability to improve the functioning of your body
through healthy living and good exercise habits. To develop our physical well-being,
we need to know what a healthy diet and exercise routine looks like, so that we can
implement effective strategies in our daily lives. When we improve our physical well-
being, not only do we feel better, our newfound health can also help prevent many
diseases, heal our guts, boost our emotional well-being, and limit the number of health
challenges we have to deal with in our lives.
 Social Well-Being. The ability to communicate, develop meaningful relationships
with others, and maintain a support network that helps you overcome loneliness. To

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 865

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

develop social well-being, we need to build our social skills, like gratitude, kindness,
and communication. Social skills make it easier for us to have positive interactions
with others, helping us to feel less lonely, angry, or disconnected. When we have
developed our social well-being, we feel more meaningfully connected to others.
 Workplace Well-Being. The ability to pursue your interests, values, and life
purpose in order to gain meaning, happiness, and enrichment professionally. To
develop our workplace well-being, we need to build skills that help us pursue what
really matters to us. This can include building professional skills which help us to
meet our life goals and help us manifest things, but it also includes things like living
our values and maintaining work-life balance. These skills let us enjoy our work
more, helping us to stay focused, motivated, and successful at work. When we have
developed workplace well-being, our work, and therefore each day, feels
more meaningful.
 Social Well-Being. The ability to actively participate in a thriving community,
culture, and environment. To develop societal well-being, we need to build skills that
make us feel interconnected with all things. We need to know how to support our
environment, build stronger local communities, and foster a culture of compassion,
fairness, and kindness. These skills help us feel like we're part of a thriving
community that really supports one another and the world at large. When we cultivate
societal well-being, we feel like we are a part of something bigger than just ourselves
and live happily.
According to Verma &Verma (1989) “General wellbeing is considered as the subjective
feeling which is of contentment, happiness, satisfaction with life’s experiences and of one’s
role in the world of work, sense of achievement, utility, belongingness and no distress,
dissatisfaction or worry, etc. These things are difficult to evaluate objectively, hence the
emphasis on the term “subjective” well-being. It may well be maintained in adverse
circumstances and conversely, may be lost in favourable situation. It is related to but not
depends upon the physical or physiological conditions” (Verma & Verma, 1989).

CONCLUSION

This Concept paper helps to focus on people with less Social maturity and poor general well-
being to modify the way of their living. All the Human-being will grow up in to a person who
pre-occupies different professions and sometimes most of them may turn into powerful
authorities. Without Social maturity and general well-being, it’s difficult to succeed in their
life goals. To lead a healthy social and individual life, Human-being should need to be
socially mature and state of well-being also should be achieved. Social maturity helps the
Human-being to lead a socially appropriate way of life and it helps them to guide themselves
on what to do and what not do. It also guides to find out the Human-being with Social
instability and poor wellbeing and to provide proper guidance from educational sector to
empower them and to achieve a state of having a stable Social maturity. While developing the
curriculum for the school going Human-being in such a way that it facilitates well-being and
mould them to have a sound Social maturity and wellness in life. It can also help to give
information’s and guidance on the upbringing of Human-being. Understanding the well-being
of Human-beings in relation to social maturity and aspects that fund towards it will assistance
in defining descriptive ways to better help among Human-beings set up for their adult life.
One of the queries that have increased interest in the study among Human-beings is
whether there is a difference found between well-being among male and female students
(Jeannie A. Perez, 2012). The positive gender relationship were found of relationship with

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 866

GIS SCIENCE JOURNAL ISSN NO : 1869-9391

father, positive relationship reports with others, peers and their purpose of life. In the
aspects of positive and negative effects, there were not significant gender difference
were found, like with teachers, environmental mastery, relationship with mother, self-
acceptance and personal growth.

REFEENCES

 Anderson, M.L.(1939). Administrative use of the social maturity scale, The Binet
review, 6,7-8.
 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201901/what-is-
well-being-definition-types-and-well-being-skills
 Hurlock E B (1976) Personality Development, New Delhi, Tata McGraw Publishing
Co. Ltd.
 Pathak RD. Sex difference among school children in the area of adjustment Psych.
Studies. 1970; 15:120-122.
 Raj, M.(1996).Encyclopedia Dictionary of psychology and Education, New
Delhi:Anmol Publications.
 Verma, S. K., & Verma, A. (1989). Manual for P.G.I General well-being Measure.
Lucknow: AnkurPsychological Agency.
 Wentzel, K. R. (1991). Relations between social competence and academic
achievement in early adolescence. Child Development, 62, 1066-1078.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3, 2021 PAGE NO: 867

View publication stats