Emotional immaturity is defined as the inability of an individual to control their emotions or take full responsibility for their actions. Immature individuals have problems with anger management, insecurities, jealousy, fear, resentment, and guilt. People with immaturity problems often find it difficult to let go of the emotions that they are experiencing. Instead, they remain stuck in negative emotions. In most cases, depression and anxiety are the main reasons behind immaturity. Some of the immature individuals have in the past had complicated relationships with their parents, sibling, or other family members.
Characteristics of Emotionally Immature Individuals
There are several notable signs of immaturity. But if you are to identify them in yourself or a colleague, you need to be aware of what they are. Below are some signs attached to immaturity.
1. They are egocentric
Immature people often think that the world revolves around them since they have a limited understanding of the world. Often, such people do not have empathy for others because they cannot understand and appreciate the other person's point of view. Egocentric individuals assume that the people around them share the same opinion with them and fail to realize that everybody has a perception of their own.
2. They are impulsive
The trait of wanting instant gratification is among the signs of emotional immaturity in a woman. By being impulsive, they tend to act on a whim, often displaying actions that are characterized by no reflection, consideration, or thinking about the consequences. These people tend to act uncontrollably fast if they are faced with a challenge.
3. They are irresponsible with money
An immature individual has a problem with handling both small and large sums of money. Their irresponsibility is caused by the behavior of purchasing things they don't need with the money meant for more essential things. These people often take crazy financial risks by failing to evaluate their investments and also fail to make long-term projections. Such a person ends up finding themselves in debt, all because they wanted to satisfy their unimportant wants at the expense of needs.
4. They have commitment issues
Commitment issue is among the most notable signs of immaturity in people. A person with a commitment phobia has a fear of obligating themselves with issues that involve other people, especially relationships. A person who is emotionally immature in this manner often fails to execute their plans on time. Sometimes they fail to do what they had planned and instead procrastinate or cancel the plans. These people feel trapped when other people lay out a plan for them.
5. They avoid responsibilities
An emotionally irresponsible individual prefers to dodge being held accountable for their actions and the choices they make. They fail to acknowledge when they mess up as they don't apologize or make any amendments. If they happen to make a mistake, they do not admit it and instead shift the blame to others.
6. They are good at name-calling others
There are a lot of ways to argue and solve arguments, but name-calling is not among them. It is both awkward and immature for an adult to name-call another adult. Adults should not make an ad hominem, which is attacking another person because of their traits. Instead, they are supposed to attack and solve the problem itself. An emotionally immature person will only attack another adult by disrespecting them with mean labels.
Tips on How to Stop Being Immature
Immaturity is not a permanent problem. After you have identified several signs of immaturity in yourself, check out these tips on how to change your immaturity traits and get mature.
- Improve self-awareness
Self-awareness is the first step towards maturity and achieving a higher emotional intelligence. An immature individual should start by becoming aware of their emotions before they can manage them effectively. Self-awareness gives a person the ability to empathize with others and understand what they experience. With high emotional self-awareness, people can know what they feel at any particular time, and the source or reasons of their emotions, since they don't act on impulse.
- Stop acting on impulse
People who act on impulse not only make mistakes but also affect the lives of those around them. Becoming mature begins with learning to delay one's reactions or impulses. A person should begin by identifying their impulse triggers before applying the impulse control measure. These measures include taking a break and focusing on other issues away from the impulse triggers.
- Foster emotional intelligence
Fostering emotional intelligence is a basic step towards overcoming immaturity in adults. These people should begin by becoming more aware of their feelings and actions. This gives them self-assurance, and they start nurturing a sense of purpose in life. They start responding maturely to both people and situations. By fostering emotional intelligence, a person can consider how they want others to think of them.
- Become responsible
Being impulsive, failing to stand up for what one believes in, blame-shifting, and lying are all characteristics of immaturity. However, a mature person will act responsibly and keep commitments and be honest. This can be done through the demonstration of respect for both oneself and others. To become mature, it is essential that you own up to your mistakes, do what is expected of them, and avoid name-calling.
- Avoid risky behaviors
A person who indulges him or herself in risky situations is considered immature. It is impossible to achieve an adult level of maturity for a person who abuses alcohol and drugs or causes trouble with their employers or fellow employees. If you are to drop these habits, it is good to align oneself with people who have commendable values and those who respect the views of their fellow adults.
- Learn from past mistakes
People with emotional immaturity are advised to learn from their past mistakes and those of their friends. But these lessons will only start after such a person admits their own mistakes and accepts their misjudgment for them to build integrity. Not admitting to one's mistakes only creates the desire to seek a haven of deception with the aim of preserving one's ego.
Take Home Message
In conclusion, being immature may be attributed to reasons such as the environment in which a person was brought up or the kind of people with who a person grew up. It is essential for an adult to review his or her actions and life settings to know if they are mature or not. If not, he or she needs to implement the above-discussed measures to stop being immature.