You might be an adult at 18

TOI, Patna 3/8/2008

You might be an adult at 18
but not mature enough: Research

Youngsters at 18 might be considered adults, however, they are considerably different from 25-year-olds and have their special needs as different from the older ones.
"Consensus is emerging that an 18-year-old is not the same person they will be at 25, just as an 11-year-old is not the same as one at 18," says A Rae Simpson, Creator, Young Adult Development Project.
"They don’t look the same, feel the same, think the same, or act the same," Simpson, who is also the Programme Director of Parenting Education and Research At MIT’s Centre for Work, Family and Personal Life, adds.
Fuelled by hormone fluctuations, the teenage years can be a time of huge emotional upheaval. But the roller coaster may not end at the 18th birthday, reveals the MIT initiative.
According to the research, the years from 18 to 25 should be regarded as a specific developmental period with its own characteristics, milestones and limitations – a time of both stunning accomplishment and chilling risk as young adults are propelled into full maturity.
Simpson’s work has implications for colleges and universities hoping to ease student stress and depression as well as for parents dealing with adult children.
Her work was originally sparked by concerns within MIT and nationwide about incidences of harmful and risky behaviour on campuses, including suicides.
Conclusions of the project are based in parts on findings of about 30 researchers and examination of more than 500 articles and other sources about the young adult years.
The research indicates that some important developments in the prefrontal cortex of the brain don’t occur until the early 20s. There’s an enormous amount that happens after 25 or after 30 or after 40 – some of which can’t happen any earlier.