MOST PEOPLE DON'T GROW UP
They get older, but remain at a certain level of immaturity all their lives.
Only 4 per cent of adult Americans ever reach the level of self freedom and self understanding necessary for complete maturity.
In order to become completely mature, people must involve themselves in new, direct experiences.
They should try to do this even if the new experience causes them anxiety, and seems to interfere with their formal beliefs.
People would be better to enlist the courage to free themselves of the fear of trying new things.
People must understand the level of maturity at which they are functioning now, and also learn to understand the level of maturity of the person with whom they are dealing with in order to get along effectively with others.
People acquire three kinds of knowledge in their lifetime, "formal", which is second hand, something that someone, usually our mother, told us. "Informal", in which is gained from direct experience and technical, which also is formal but taught in structural setting such as school.
It is the first kind of formal knowledge that gives us the most trouble. This is the kind of knowledge which hasn't been tested or proven, but has been passed on from generation to generation, for example, political or religious beliefs.
Disturbed people are those who have been taught one thing formally, and then get out into the world and find out differently and have difficulty dealing with it.
The way people deal with the three kinds of knowledge determines the level of maturity they reach.
Outlined below are the "seven" levels in descending order.
The seventh and highest level, that of complete self-freedom and self-actualization, is the most desirable and least attainable.
People at this level combine the ability to look at all sides of an issue with a tolerance for the formal beliefs of other people.
The sixth level is self-understanding, the ability to understand and get along with yourself and others, utilizing informal experiences , and possessing the ability to look back and evaluate one's formal experience.
At level five people begin to form self solutions to problems, drawing from direct informal learning experiences as well as formal.
The fourth level is "mimicry" where people imitate and pattern their thoughts and behavior on or after that of some successful and admired model.
Most people reach a point between the fourth and fifth level in their struggle toward maturity.
Some sixty five per cent of the American population fall into this group.
Level three encompasses rules players as well as many that are hooked on "idealisms". Fraternities, some religions, and/or organized groups where there is reprisement for leaving is what is being spoken of here.
Persons at this level are oriented towards following all the rules and are locked into cultural mores.
They are convinced that following the rules will get them what they want, and when it doesn't work for them they seem to regress to level two in confusion.
The rules can either make or break this kind of person. Any organization is an example of an entire group functioning at level three.
At Level two people seek control of others, seeing them as possible interfering and dangerous influences who may keep them from getting what they want.
Level one is described as the level at which infants function.
A baby believes he is the whole world and that everyone else in insignificant or a mistake.
We seldom meet people at this level, because they often end up in prison at an early age.
Please note that as you go down the levels the "sense" of "inferiority" seems to increase, and the "need" to be "right" begins to take over.
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