Immaturity
Not Me
The ‘hallmark’ of immaturity is the inability to take responsibilities for one’s actions as well as the consequences thereof.
Blaming everyone and everything else for one’s failings is evident in the very young child.
“The chair did it’ he says solemnly, and if the parent has time might inquire; ‘so the chair ran across the room and knocked over the vase?'
"Yes." says the child.
But this is a child.
Growing Pains
As a child matures, s/he realises that chairs don’t move. So will look for an animate object to blame. S/he will blame the dog, the cat, an absent adult, unaware s/he is not being believed.
“Mrs. Bowen threw the cookies on the floor,” he says to his mother, assuming that as she loves him more than the neighbour he will be believed.
This is a hallmark of the child who is unwilling to take responsibility. This is the point when the parent or guardian is to appreciate something is wrong here and step in.
Forever Young
There is a difference between being immature and having that enticing ability to keep a young and positive outlook. Some people can be in their seventies and see the world with adventure. This is not immaturity.
There are people who stay young for as long as they can, maybe dressing like a teen ager, listening to the latest music, interested in things that are 'too young' for them. This is not immaturity.
Immaturity is the cowardice of being unable to accept responsibility.
Taking Responsibility/or Not
There are many adults who are emotionally immature. They blame everyone else for their failings.
They can reach middle age, or beyond, still blaming Mommy for not holding a birthday party when he was eight. For not doing more to insure he went to school and did well in class.
They keep piling whatever failing they have on their parents because one of the ingredients of immaturity is cowardice.
Another Scape Goat
Some blame ex-wives or husbands for everything that caused the marriage to fail.
It was the ex-wife's fault why the house was kept uncomfortably cold, it was the ex-husband's fault why bills were not paid on time. The fact he could have turned up the thermostat or she could have paid the bills is not considered.
Whatever went wrong, blame the Ex.
Others are less specific; the blame is shared among “They,” “Them,” “Everybody”. They act as if they had no volition or that strangers would go out of their way to cause them difficulty.
Immature people invest in clearly risky schemes. Instead of investigating before investing, they accept what they were told by whomever told them. They lose their money, and now have new people to blame. After all, if X says it was a legal investment, then it is X's fault why an investment was made.
Taking Charge
The hallmark of maturity is to comprehend that you are responsible for your actions.
Whatever excuse you wish to use as to why you behaved in this fashion, doesn’t not alleviate your responsibility.
Whether you were told, whether you surmised, it is you. You did it. Take responsibility for your actions.
Blaming others only makes you look pathetic.
