"Acting immaturely" is used to describe fully grown adults who act like children. It has hit the headlines again recently, after the story of a 48-year-old man who lives at home with his mother, and hasn't had a job in seven years, aroused much heated debate online.
According to reports, the 48-year-old is an excellent student, who has a master's degree that he earned while studying abroad. But since returning home six years ago, he has refused to work and opts instead to live on his mother's pension, which has to cover both her medical expenses and his living costs.
But netizens believe that it was not all her fault. "A 48-year-old adult with a master's degree from overseas should know by now how to take care of himself," said Liu Guangming, a doctor of psychology.
But his is not the only case of adults acting immaturely to have been reported on in recent years. Others include young parents complaining that their parents don't help them look after their children and so on.
This kind of people only focus on themselves. They take it for granted that other people will help them and act like children when they don't. If something goes wrong, they never consider what they might have done wrong, but instead shift the blame onto someone else.
Among college students, these people are not hard to find.
Most Chinese born in the '80s or '90s are the only child. Since birth, they have been the center of attention. Their parents helped them every step of the way, while they only needed to follow their parents' advice and live under their protection.
But when it came time to go to college, where they needed to manage their own affairs, many started to come apart at the seams. That's why time management, and other life skills, are so important. It's not really that difficult to feed and clothe yourself after all. Nor should you find it impossible to attend class or make time to study.
Though independent living may be hard for most freshmen, psychological independence is what helps college students become adults. Anxiety and frustration stemming from psychological dependence will only create obstacles for self-improvement in future.
So try to manage your emotion and interpersonal relationships, which can lay a solid foundation for becoming a more mature person.
Independence is even more valuable after college, when young adults often have to support themselves both financially and psychologically. Every detail of their lives must suddenly be micromanaged, even the things that weren't a big deal at college, such as finding accommodation. Moreover, they need to keep themselves safe and out of danger.
Psychological independence then, is more than just a handy trick to get you through college. It is the most reliable tool you can have at your disposal as you deal with all the intricacies of the big wide world.
