Any ideas? I was just curious what people would consider to be the defining attribute of an adult? I mean under most countries laws we are adults at 18 or 21 but for air travel it's more like 12. I'll explain what I consider each poll option to mean because I realise there is an overlap in for some of the options' definitions.
Age: This one is straight forward enough, do you consider an individual an adult once they reach a certain age. (Obviously the age you consider to be the start of adulthood does not have to be the same as government law may stipulate. You can go higher and lower if you want)
Maturity: This kind of plays into elements of the other three but I'll try to distinguish it from the others. Basically by maturity I mean emotional maturity. I'm not saying that as a mature individual you can't enjoy crude humour or that you can't watch cartoons. What I mean is that you are at a stage in which you are looking for serious relationships with friends and romantic partners. And that you are at a stage where you are more engaged with culture and society you live in then when you are a child and don't really consider why things happen you just embrace it and move on.
Responsibility: This is what I would consider the most important trait but I'm not telling you what to believe. By this I would consider that if you are truly responsible you recognise that you need to look after yourself but also, and a key element of this, others can rely on you. So you will be on time if you make an appointment with someone else. You look after your money and don't do anything reckless. Basically I mean that while you may not currently be depended on, if someone or something depended on you, you could handle it.
Independence: This has elements of the responsibility and maturity but in a more self contained way. What I'm considering independence here is in many ways the opposite of responsibility. If you are independent, then you don't rely on anyone else, you can look after yourself both from a health standpoint but, and this is important, also from a financial one. So you have your own place, and you are covered for day to day needs, and all but the worst accidents. You don't necessarily have to be in a position to help others though. Also you don't have to be living in luxury, you just have living in reasonably comfortable circumstances.
Age: This one is straight forward enough, do you consider an individual an adult once they reach a certain age. (Obviously the age you consider to be the start of adulthood does not have to be the same as government law may stipulate. You can go higher and lower if you want)
Maturity: This kind of plays into elements of the other three but I'll try to distinguish it from the others. Basically by maturity I mean emotional maturity. I'm not saying that as a mature individual you can't enjoy crude humour or that you can't watch cartoons. What I mean is that you are at a stage in which you are looking for serious relationships with friends and romantic partners. And that you are at a stage where you are more engaged with culture and society you live in then when you are a child and don't really consider why things happen you just embrace it and move on.
Responsibility: This is what I would consider the most important trait but I'm not telling you what to believe. By this I would consider that if you are truly responsible you recognise that you need to look after yourself but also, and a key element of this, others can rely on you. So you will be on time if you make an appointment with someone else. You look after your money and don't do anything reckless. Basically I mean that while you may not currently be depended on, if someone or something depended on you, you could handle it.
Independence: This has elements of the responsibility and maturity but in a more self contained way. What I'm considering independence here is in many ways the opposite of responsibility. If you are independent, then you don't rely on anyone else, you can look after yourself both from a health standpoint but, and this is important, also from a financial one. So you have your own place, and you are covered for day to day needs, and all but the worst accidents. You don't necessarily have to be in a position to help others though. Also you don't have to be living in luxury, you just have living in reasonably comfortable circumstances.
