Emotional immaturity is an ineffectiveness at communicating one's emotions, with a tendency to overdramatize or focus on oneself. 1 Some key characteristics of an emotionally immature person include selfishness and inadequate communication skills.
Emotional immaturity can be the result of insecure attachments during early life experiences, trauma, untreated addiction or mental health problems, and/or lack of deeper introspection or work on oneself. It can manifest as self-centeredness, narcissism, and poor management of conflict.
They Do Not Empathize – An emotionally immature person does not empathize with others' emotions and feelings and may seem self-centered. It is about fulfilling their needs, and they seldom apologize for hurting people with their actions or words.
They will struggle with communicating in healthy ways, have difficulty managing their emotions, have a lack of empathy, and will often become defensive even around small slights. Being emotionally immature puts a lot of stress and strain on the relationship leaving the other partner drained and emotionally depleted.
While emotional immaturity isn't always a sign of a mental health disorder, it has been associated with narcissistic personality disorder and emotionally abusive tendencies. That being said, it is not always the case that an emotionally immature person is either a narcissist or abusive.
Immature personality disorder (IPD) was a type of personality disorder diagnosis. It is characterized by lack of emotional development, low tolerance of stress and anxiety, inability to accept personal responsibility, and reliance on age-inappropriate defense mechanisms.
When adults demonstrate bold emotions, they may be perceived as child-like. The cliche that intelligent people are emotionally immature may be more false than true because research does show that emotional intelligence is associated with academic achievement and academic achievement is an indication of intelligence.
Trauma-related immaturity refers to the ways in which trauma can impact a person's emotional and social development. As we mentioned before, trauma can often result in behavioral problems or emotional difficulties that make a person appear immature or developmentally delayed.
Regardless of their emotional "age," emotionally immature people tend to lack emotional sensitivity, be self-preoccupied, or behave in ways that cause you to question your own reality. You may find communication difficult, or even impossible.
Studies say men reach emotional maturity around 43, while 32 years of age is where most women mature. Considering both genders join the workforce or start a family much earlier than they have a decent level of control over their emotional state, this data explains why sometimes we choose the wrong paths in life.
Four States of Emotional Maturation
They are: Survival (fear-based living); Security (duty-based living), Success (ego based living) and Serenity (love/trust-based living).
But an emotionally immature woman is excessively judgmental because her view of the world is inflexible. Her lack of self-awareness and low self-esteem fuels her inability to be vulnerable or communicate honestly. It's easier to put someone down or dismiss their opinion instead of engaging in a meaningful conversation.
Women reach full emotional maturity around age 32, while men finish maturing around age 43.
The finding of the study showed that introvert, intuition, feeling and judging (INFJ) personality type were more emotionally intelligent than the extrovert, sensing, thinking and perceiving (ESTP) personality type.
An emotionally immature person is able to grow and learn. Narcissism stunts emotional growth. Borderline personality can look like a mix of the two except they do feel empathy and vulnerability.
Regression: A popular but frequently forgotten defense mechanism is a regression. When things get too difficult and a person feels vulnerable, defense mechanisms kick in as a way of self-preservation. Regression is a return to childlike behavior as a way to avoid adult-like reality and responsibility.
By Nikita Bhalla: Whenever you use the word cry, in all likelihood people associate it with all sorts of negative emotions. People who cry are seen as weak, immature, and even self-indulgent, but science suggests that it is completely normal to open up your tear ducts every once in a while.
A person with BPD may appear to be emotionally immature because they often expect others to put their needs first. They're frequently emotionally dependent on others and may appear to be trying to manipulate others to give them their way by inappropriate emotional reactions or acting out.
People can grow and change. If someone you care about is emotionally immature, you may be able to help them learn to behave more like an adult. If they don't want to change, speak to a counselor about how to care for yourself while dealing with an emotionally immature person.
Many people ask questions like can emotionally unavailable men fall in love? The answer is yes! They can fall in love when they see the right person. Emotionally unavailable men would be ready to drop all their unhealthy behaviors so that they would not scare their love interest away.
Emotional stunting can have many causes but is often the result of an overly protective mother, too much praise, and little punishment during adolescence.