Loriann Oberlin MS, LCPC

  • Relationships

What It Really Means to Be Mature

It starts with taking responsibility when things go wrong..

Posted April 17, 2022 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

  • Medical science has shown that adolescence continues into one’s 20s when the frontal lobe fully comes on board by age 26.
  • In order to navigate committed relationships and marriage, we must first grow ourselves up.
  • Exploring how one cuts off others, creates relationship triangles, and resists conformity or groupthink displays emotional maturity.
  • Taking responsibility for one’s missteps is a hallmark of maturity; crafting villains into one’s story with finger-pointing is the opposite.

Commencement speeches provide wisdom to graduates of all ages. With this passage, we often assume that those donning caps and gowns have it all together as they embark upon higher education or leave for promising careers.

Not so fast. As a topic, maturity is debated in the medical literature since neuroimaging shows that the brain matures well into one’s 20s. The frontal lobe, governing executive functions like working memory , impulse and self-control , planning, and time management , is among the last brain area to mature. 1 This occurs typically around age 26.

Other studies have considered having different ages of majority, depending upon legal issues, as being truer to the developmental science than one set age for all matters. One boundary could apply where there is emotional arousal, time pressure, and coercion whereas another is designated for those aged 18 and older where psychosocial immaturity compromises judgment. 2

Defining Maturity

According to Merriam Webster, maturity means adulthood and full development. Unofficially, many adults who read the sage words of the late advice columnist Ann Landers may remember the column titled "Maturity," easily found in an online search. 3 In that classic prose, Landers wrote that people display maturity in patience, perseverance, decision-making , dependability, self-control, and humility; that is, the ability to admit simply “I was wrong.”

In 2013, Washington Post columnist Carolyn Hax wrote about how to be one’s best self. She posed a probing list of questions including: Do you realize that your needs have the same status as everyone else’s? And that you’re not the hero in every encounter with others? 4

During the global pandemic, Kathleen Smith, Ph.D., wrote “Telling A Story Without Villains” in which she reports that the focus on other vs. self leads to rigid, reactive behavior and tossing immaturity back at others. 5 “Staying stuck in a narrow framework of right and wrong, of hero and villain,” she says, “doesn’t free you up to think creatively about the problem and your part in the solution.”

Never Too Old to Grow Up

Jenny Brown, MSW, writes in Growing Yourself Up: How to Bring Your Best to All of Life’s Relationships that the overriding question remains: Am I up for addressing the immature part I’m playing in relationships? 6 “Seeing what we need to change about our unhelpful reactions, and working on them in the world of relationships, creates positive rippled effects into the systems we’re part of,” Brown writes. “It can even ripple into future generations.”

In what Brown dubs the “change and blame dance,” she reports, “When we’re finding fault with others, we stop working on ourselves. Our growing gets stuck in the blame rut.”

Brown’s book presents maturity through the lifespan from young adulthood to middle age—with discussions of sex , marriage , separation, and divorce —to one’s older years facing mortality. She does this through a Bowen family systems lens.

Family Systems Front and Center

Our families of origin serve as a relationship template. It’s where we learn how to be and think and what the roles of husband, wife, father, and mother look like.

In 2018, Roberta Gilbert, M.D., updated her classic book The Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory— which I often point therapy clients to, to obtain a quick understanding of the nuclear family emotion system, family projection , and multigenerational transmission (of anxiety ), sibling position, cutoff, triangles, and differentiation of self. 7 Differentiation means how susceptible one is to family of origin conformity and groupthink . 8

Dr. Gilbert writes that feelings will come and go, but learning to be more thoughtful over the life course and learning to see the family as an emotional unit, not the individuals, is best. Thinking systems, and working on one’s self where one has that control rather than finger-pointing and insisting others change, which is typically futile and out of one’s ability to change—that’s the work to be done. Hence, an emotional maturity measure.

Key Behaviors That Show Maturity

The list below succinctly explains many family systems tenets:

  • Think “How do we all impact one another?” rather than “Why can’t that person…”
  • Resist the childish impulse to blame others when things don’t go well in life.
  • Do not over-function for others, for extended periods. Practice true help by setting them on an independent and successful path.
  • See triangles form, and recognize how futile they are in any group or family. This prevents immaturity pitfalls and aids problem-solving between the two people who need to work things out.
  • Realize that relationships are much like geometry: the closest distance between two points is a straight line, not through a third party.
  • Refrain from fault-finding but consider your own role and how you’ve contributed to any upset. Take responsibility for it and work on yourself to prevent the dynamic in the future.
  • Keep from being a chameleon shifting views to curry favor with others. Know your values and be principled in your decisions. Counseling sessions can help people identify these so that they don’t indecisively fence sit.
  • Summon your best maturity skills for committed relationships, especially marriage. If one party acts childishly through passive aggression , under-functioning, pettiness, blame, or defensiveness, therapy should be sought.
  • Resist settling for less. Mature adults consciously work on becoming better humans, partners, lovers, and parents, regardless of age. Finding this won’t be easy but worth it in the long run.

maturity essays

Copyright © 2022 by Loriann Oberlin, MS

See also: Dating & Mating Characteristics and Speaking Up When Stressed

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892678/ and https://www.businessinsider.com/age-brain-matures-at-everything-2017-11

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6551607/

3. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-07-17-9907170129-story.html

4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2013/12/13/carolyn-hax-defining-best-self/

5. https://kathleensmith.net/2020/05/20/telling-a-story-without-villains/

6. https://tinyurl.com/Growing-Yourself-Up

7. w ww.loriannoberlin.com/books

8. https://www.thebowencenter.org/differentiation-of-self

Loriann Oberlin MS, LCPC

Loriann Oberlin, MS, LCPC, is a clinical counselor and co-author of books including Overcoming Passive-Aggression.

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25 Maturity Examples

maturity examples and definition, explained below

Maturity is a trait where a person has the experience and wisdom to behave in a resolved, resolute, and secure way.

Maturity is about wisdom . It usually comes after a lot of introspection , philosophical thinking, failure, and learned humility.

Society has developmental markers for maturity (e.g. age 18 to vote). Nevertheless, it’s a more fluid cultural concept than that. Maturity is not only about age. Many adults are immature—we might say that some adults behave childishly or immaturely.

Below are some examples of maturity, starting with the five indicators of maturity proposed by Todres (2011).

Todres’ Five Indicators of Maturity

  • Political participation– If a person is able to cogently participate in political debate then they are considered mature (and therefore should be allowed to vote).
  • Independent economic power – A mature person should be able to work to earn a living, so long as they’re not prohibited by factors outside of their control such as a disability.
  • Responsibility and accountability – A mature person should be responsible. As a result, they should also be able to be held responsible for their actions in court.
  • Bodily integrity – A mature person should be able to care for their own body, and also have the right to control their own body.
  • Family rights – A mature person should be able to care for their family, and therefore have the right to start a family if they so desire.

Maturity Examples in Everyday Life

  • Controlling your urges
  • Having clear priorities in life
  • Accepting your faults and failings
  • Being trustworthy with valuable things
  • Using risk assessment effectively
  • Being able to think ethically
  • Diffusing rather than escalating conflicts
  • Respect for others
  • Tolerance of difference
  • Taking the high road
  • Knowing when to back down for your own good
  • Accepting loss gracefully
  • Being a graceful winner
  • Being pragmatic to gradually move toward your goals
  • Accepting some things are out of your control
  • Understanding you can’t know everything
  • Being able to acknowledge when you’re wrong
  • Developing humility
  • Being self-reliant
  • Developing your own morals rather than following your parents blindly
  • Using past experiences to inform present action
  • Overcoming egotism of childhood
  • Listening to others who you disagree with respectfully
  • Exercising patience with others
  • Delayed gratification

Detailed Examples

1. being disciplined to control urges.

A mature individual has self-control , and this virtue applies to many circumstances. The ability to control one’s urges means that the person is behaving rationally and with good reason—not based on emotions.

For example, a mature person can control their temper and not engage in meaningless arguments.

Another example is being able to resist buying something on a whim. Children and teenagers typically do not have this self-control—they often take what they want without thinking of the consequences because they lack maturity.

2. Knowing Your Priorities in Life

Mature people know what matters most, and they have the sense to line up things in the proper order of importance. They are good at prioritization because they know what matters.

In addition, mature people understand that resources are finite so they need to forego some things to have the more important things in life.

Since resources are finite, mature individuals know that they must not spend on unimportant things when there are bills that need to get paid. They also know how to use their time wisely. Children, for example, will typically play first before doing their homework—mature individuals do it the other way around. 

3. Being Aware of One’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Self-awareness is an important indicator of maturity. A person who knows his or her strengths and weaknesses can gauge situations and make smart decisions.

Children usually make decisions out of fear—but then they jump and run and get hurt because they do not know what their limitations are.

Mature individuals understand the things they can do well and what they are not good at. As such, they can take appropriate action to learn more before taking on a new job or taking a business risk. 

4. Understanding the Value of Risk Assessment

Children have poor risk assessment skills. For example, they will cross the road and even bother about incoming vehicles. Mature individuals must have already learned from their experiences and use these experiences to assess risks.

As a mature person, you must consider the possible consequences of your actions. The potential negative consequences are the “risks” from certain tasks.

This doesn’t mean not taking risks. Rather, it means taking measured risks and having a good sense of when a risk is worthwhile and when it is not.

It is why mature people walk away from a fight or attempt to de-escalate arguments—they know it is not worth it based on a mature risk assessment.

5. Ability to Bounce Back or Be Resilient

Resiliency is the ability to return to a normal state of mind after a devastating blow. Life is not always favorable, and mature people know this.

Staying down after a disappointment can be an indication that a person is not mature enough to recover from difficulties. Of course, this does not include mental illnesses like depression which need to be considered separately.

Mature individuals can suffer from a setback, like losing in a game or not getting a promotion, and bounce back from this failure to move on and become a stronger person. 

6. The Capacity to Respect Others

Ignorance is a sign of immaturity. Being able to respect anyone despite their ethnicity, gender, religion, or political views is a sign that you have had enough experience to understand the diversity and intrinsic value of all human beings.

Maturity happens because of exposure to a wide range of people in life. It comes from knowing that you cannot control what people believe in, that people are different, and that we should be tolerant of one another if we want peace.

Immature people insist that they are always right. It is always about them—they have a feeling of delusional superiority.

7. Being Able to Take the High Road

Taking the high road means doing the right thing even when there is a temptation not to. Taking the high road is a sign of maturity because you’re standing by your moral code when others may not.

For example, a mature individual knows how to apologize if she makes a mistake.She stays true to her moral code.

Immature people will not do this—how could they when their pride sets aside their morality?

Taking the high road also means not engaging in useless and meaningless arguments. Sometimes, it is better to let things go rather than dig in and cause trouble.

8. The Competence to be Pragmatic

Pragmatism is a thought process where you want to get things done even if the outcome isn’t your ideal. Pragmatists take action. 

A mature individual knows that not everything in life is handed on a silver spoon. Things get tough and unfavorable. Being a pragmatic individual means you try to find ways to make turn things around to make things a little better – step by step.

In youth, we’re often idealists . We want the world to be a certain way and we’re uncompromising in our pursuit of our ideals. But as we gain experience, we realize why the world isn’t the way we want it to be. Instead, we learn that progress toward our ideals is slow and arduous. That’s where pragmatic action comes in.

See Also: Competence Examples

9. The Power to be Self-Reliant

Self-reliance is a sure sign of maturity—even animals are able to fend for themselves eventually. Of course, this example does not include people who have special needs.

Self-reliance means you can manage your own affairs. You no longer need support and guidance for basic needs. A mature person knows how to care for themself, find a job, and solve problems

. It is the self-reliant people who also often solves the problems of other people (and it is why they often get paid a high salary).

10. Acceptance of Things Beyond your Control

Mature individuals resign to the fact that not everything in life is within their control. So, instead of lamenting this, a mature individual has the strength to know what they can change and the wisdom to know what they can’t.

For example, in your early life, you might strive pointlessly to figure out how to live forever. But as you gain knowledge and experience, you realize that this is something outside of your control. Instead, you can make the most of your years by eating healthily, keeping a regular sleep routine, and exercising.

Here, you’ve graduated from an idealistic sense of being able to fix the world into a more mature sense of what you can realistically do for yourself and your community.

Maturity comes with experience. To become mature, one has to be rational—one has to be a thinker. Being emotional about things will not bring about maturity.

Of course, being impatient about achieving maturity is immaturity by itself. You must allow time to take you there—and ensure that you always approach things with a reasonable mind.

Todres, J. (2011). Maturity.  Hous. L. REv. ,  48 , 1107. See: https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/hulr48&section=41

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Home / Essay Samples / Psychology / Behavioral Psychology

Maturity Essay Examples and Topics

Short description: what exactly is maturity.

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Emotional Maturity of a Person

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Age of Responsibility and Maturity

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Study of the Effects of Fruit Maturity on Argan Oil Quality Through Its Mineral

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Emotional Maturity and Resilience Among Students

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Parental Responsibility and Age of Responsibility

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We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates: Maturity Theme

In We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates highlights the woes of maturity as it pertains to the anxious Judd Mulvaney through the incorporation of muddled syntax, apprehensive epiphanies, and perturbed repetition. The title of the passage demonstrates the manner in which Judd reacts after…

Project Management Maturity Model as a Foundation for Projects

Project managers can use the project management maturity model (PMMM) to understand the status of a project and plan for future steps. The PMMM is a foundation to achieve project success and excellence consisting of five levels, common language, common processes, singular methodology, benchmarking, and…

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The bildungsroman Jane Eyre details the maturation both psychologically and morally of a girl in Victorian era Britain. Morally, Jane evolves from being vengeful and angry to being balanced and moral. Moreover, In the beginning of the novel Jane Eyre is kept in the lowest…

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

  • Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
  • Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
  • Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

  • Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
  • Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
  • Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
  • Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
  • Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

  • Returns to your thesis
  • Ties together your main points
  • Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

  • Including new arguments or evidence
  • Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
  • Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

  • An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
  • Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
  • A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

  • It gives your writing direction and focus.
  • It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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Development in Composition: Building an Essay

Learning to support your main ideas with pertinent details

 Lisbeth Hjort/Getty Images

  • An Introduction to Punctuation
  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , development (also known as elaboration ) is the process of adding informative and illustrative details to support the main idea in a paragraph or essay . Paragraphs and essays can be developed in many different ways. In conventional composition courses, the following patterns of exposition are often presented as the standard methods of development in expository writing :

Observations on Development

"[The] methods of development aren't empty jugs to pour full of any old, dull words. Neither are they straitjackets woven by fiendish English teachers to pin your writing arm to your side and keep you from expressing yourself naturally. The methods are tools for achieving your purpose in writing, whatever that purpose may be. They can help you discover what you know, what you need to know, how to think critically about your subject, and how to shape your writing." —From "The Bedford Reader" by X.J. and Dorothy M. Kennedy

The Importance of Providing Supporting Details

"Possibly the most serious—and most common—weakness of all essays by novice writers is the lack of effectively developed body paragraphs . The information in each paragraph must adequately explain, exemplify, define, or in some other way support your topic sentence . Therefore, you must include enough supporting information or evidence in each paragraph to make your readers understand your topic sentence. Moreover, you must make the information in the paragraph clear and specific enough for the readers to accept your ideas." —From "Steps to Writing Well" by Jean Wyrick

Body-Building

"What the opening of an essay promises, the body of the essay must deliver. This is known as 'developing your ideas,' but I like to use a body-building metaphor because it implies adding not just bulk to a framework, but musculature. In other words, good essay development strengthens , not merely fills out. . . .
"What is the best way to reinforce the main idea of your essay? You can do some by making good use of any combination of the following six methods of development:
  • Classification and Division
  • Example, case-in-point
  • Characterization ,  dialogue
"By using these bodybuilding elements, you are telling your readers, 'I don't expect you to take my word for these claims ; I want you to see for yourself!" —From "LifeWriting: Drawing from Personal Experience to Create Features You Can Publish" by Fred D. White

Multiple Patterns of Development

"Although most short papers may employ one primary pattern with other patterns woven throughout, longer papers may have two or more primary patterns of development . For example, if you are writing a paper on the causes and effects of child abuse in the foster care system, you might, after the causal analysis, shift the primary focus of the essay to prevention, thus continuing the essay with a process analysis of what the state might do to prevent child abuse. Then you might end the essay by addressing the objections from those defending the system, shifting the focus of the essay to argumentation .
"Your decision to include other primary patterns depends on your purpose and audience . Your thesis makes your purpose clear to your reader. Then as you develop your essay, you may integrate other patterns into your paragraphs." —From "Bridges to Better Writing" by Luis Nazario, Deborah Borchers, and William Lewis

Further Resources

  • Cause and Effect
  • Comparison and Contrast
  • Current-Traditional Rhetoric
  • Extended Definition
  • Models of Composition
  • Process Analysis
  • Kennedy, X.J.; Kennedy, Dorothy M. "The Bedford Reader," Seventh Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000
  • White, Fred D. "LifeWriting: Drawing from Personal Experience to Create Features You Can Publish." Quill Driver Books, 2004
  • Nazario, Luis; Borchers, Deborah; Lewis, William; "Bridges to Better Writing. Wadsworth." 2010
  • Unity in Composition
  • Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
  • Definition and Examples of Body Paragraphs in Composition
  • What Is Expository Writing?
  • 6 Steps to Writing the Perfect Personal Essay
  • How to Structure an Essay
  • Paragraph Writing
  • The Five Steps of Writing an Essay
  • Definition and Examples of Paragraphing in Essays
  • An Essay Revision Checklist
  • Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing
  • How To Write an Essay
  • The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
  • Understanding General-to-Specific Order in Composition
  • Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
  • What Is a Compelling Introduction?
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Life

Essay Samples on Maturity

How does being in a group affect bystander intervention.

Bystander impacts how people will react in a certain situation. I think it because our brain reaches maturity in a way that we should have priority first before anything else. For example, if an incident happened on a road, some people are going to the...

  • The Bystander Effect

Means of Assessing Project Management Maturity Measurement Process

Understanding organizational functioning is central to the purpose of maturity models, and it has been argued by Van De Ven, 1976 that these can be evaluated through an exploration of process, structure, consistency, and discretion. Their overall development emanated from the need to understand the...

  • Project Management

The Question Of Whether Age Matters In A Relationship

The issue of age factor in a relationship is a serious one. I believe you might have thought about it either once or twice. I can’t date him, I am older than him. He was born a week after I was born and all of...

  • Relationship

Maturity and Growth in The Chrysalids

A person is generally considered to be mature if they exhibit common qualities or characteristics that are expected in adulthood. These characteristics can include being responsible, patient, and making decisions based on rationality. In the novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, we get to see...

  • Moral Development
  • The Chrysalids

Advantages, Disadvantages, and effects of Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is the act of going to another country to study the same material but in a completely new and different environment. Some people ask what the purpose is of studying abroad and what are the benefits of it. Well, studying abroad has many...

  • Studying Abroad

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Araby: The Battle of Lust and Family Roots

Epiphany is a central motif in “Araby” which represents disappointment. Joyce defines epiphany as the moment when the essence of a character is revealed. In this paper, I will show that the boy experiences incremental but eye-opening discoveries that will help him understand more about...

Reaching the Age of Emotional Maturity

Whilst growing up, we come in contact with numerous people of different orientations, attitudes, actions, and very important ideas. And we wonder why they act how they act or why they say some things they say? Or wow? Due to my upbringing, I would say...

  • Human Development

Infantilism as Social Phenomenon and a Sign of Growing Immaturity

In the modern world, we are increasingly seeing signs of personal immaturity, a decrease in initiative, a depletion of value orientations among young people. The priorities, the general worldview, the principles and ideals of young people today have changed. The desire for self-actualization, self-reflection has...

  • Modern Society

Correlation Between Technological Progress and Social Maturity

The emergence of technology has increased the pace with which development previously took place. It revolutionised films, literature, trade, culture of consumerism and communication and much more. It took Homo Sapiens about 20,000 years to shift from cave paintings to petro glyphs (carvings on rocks)....

  • Advantages of Technology

Maturity And Myself: Key Aspects That Affects Me

There are three critical perspectives that play a noteworthy run in my life. They can be arranged as scholarly, social, and profound. My scholarly self is intriguing in light of the fact that I am predominantly right-brained which implies that I tend to utilize my...

  • Personal Growth and Development
  • Self Reflection

Best topics on Maturity

1. How Does Being in a Group Affect Bystander Intervention

2. Means of Assessing Project Management Maturity Measurement Process

3. The Question Of Whether Age Matters In A Relationship

4. Maturity and Growth in The Chrysalids

5. Advantages, Disadvantages, and effects of Studying Abroad

6. Araby: The Battle of Lust and Family Roots

7. Reaching the Age of Emotional Maturity

8. Infantilism as Social Phenomenon and a Sign of Growing Immaturity

9. Correlation Between Technological Progress and Social Maturity

10. Maturity And Myself: Key Aspects That Affects Me

  • Career Goals
  • Perseverance
  • Personal Experience
  • Selfishness
  • Self Assessment

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Myself / Maturity

Maturity Essay Examples

Understanding the concept of maturity and its nature.

The concept of maturity has not received a great deal of explicit attention in the literature. Delineation of libidinal development has been yielded the important formulation of the “Genital level” and “object-interest (Freud, 1924)”. Recent emphasis on the conflict between the regressive, dependents, versus the...

Maturity in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

War can control a person mentally, physically, and spiritually. This is best explained by Paul Bäumer’s statement, “Our thoughts are clay, they are moulded with the changes of the days” (Remarque 271). All Quiet on the Western Front is about a group of newly enlisted...

Discussion of Whether Maturity is Measured by Age Or Experience

Age is just a number? Can your actions be determined by your age or your age is just a number? Maturity is what determines your actions at a certain time, place or situation, that how you react to it. Maturity is what makes a person...

Effects of Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is the act of going to another country to study the same material but in a completely new and different environment. Some people ask what the purpose is of studying abroad and what are the benefits of it. Well, studying abroad has many...

Maturity in to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In every human being’s life, they experience maturity moving from child to adult and how one’s personality may change over time. Their opinion may change and the way that they see the world. They can see the heartache and pain amongst others and the gratitude...

Malala Yousafzai's Maturity Development in I Am Malala

Malala Yousafzai is a young woman who stands up for girls’ education. Malala stands up for girls’ education because she believes that she has the right to speak up and go to school. She goes through many hard situations because of the Taliban and Maulana...

A Theme of Maturity in the Novel the Marrow Thieves

The definition of maturity might be summed up best by M.J Croan: “Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it”. However, for more accuracy, as stated by Wikipedia, maturity is the ability to respond to...

A Theme of Maturity in Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

“Maturity. It doesn’t always come with age, infact its deeper than age. It's about the way you see and understand things. The way you consider others. The way you communicate. The way you react. The things you value. The things you entertain. The way you...

My View on the Meaning of Maturity

What makes a person mature? This is a question that is too often neglected in today’s society. People don’t become mature overnight. Furthermore, there is no specific age to reach maturity. Instead, maturity depends on a person’s sense of wisdom, responsibility, and humility. It is...

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