As humans mature, we become aware of it mostly through physical means. Children get taller, start looking older, and adults get grey hair and wrinkles and begin to look frailer than their strong, healthy middle adult appearance. But there are other, more subtle, and definitely more important changes as well. These are the cognitive changes; changes in thinking and reasoning and logic that truly define ‘maturity’ and make growing up something to be desired. Perhaps the greatest change of this time takes place right before and during adolescence, when we are just coming out of our childhood and truly begin to act like adults. Kind of.
One of the first signs of increased mental capacity occurs almost before we truly become teenagers; around age twelve or so. In this stage, humans begin to view concrete things logically, such as height, mass, volume and things that are unchanging but still require thought to comprehend. Children also begin to view the world in a less egocentric manner, beginning to realize that their actions affect others and not just themselves. It is projected that children cannot fully begin to reason as an adult until they reach the age of fifteen.
Once humans reach the age of 16 or so, they begin to truly understand both abstract and concrete things. Any time before this age, they may have trouble relating current actions and future consequences, as well as a difficulty putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. During this time, most adolescents begin to question the world around them, from their religious beliefs to politics and their own parent’s previously inarguable infallibility. They also begin to view themselves differently, challenging who they are and will be as well as starting to view themselves as another human instead of something that the rest of the world revolves around.
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Rinse. Repeat.
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