Emotional Maturity and Loneliness as Correlates of Life Satisfaction among Adolescents

Abstract

Emotions which are considered as a basic factor of all relationships 1are very powerful and to a very great extent they control our behaviour, thoughts and all other aspects of life. The behaviour and thought processes are directly influenced by the past experiences and early developmental stages. Emotion is the feeling aspect of consciousness characterized by a physical aspect like physical arousal, behaviours that reveal emotion to the outside world, and an inner awareness of feelings.  Healthy emotions motivate us and give us energy for appropriate action. Unhealthy emotions are either overly intense or suppressed.

              Smiston in 1974 defined “Emotional maturity is a process in which the personality is continuously striving for greater sense of emotional health, both intra-physically and intra-personally” (as cited in Singh & Bhargava, 1990). Kaplan and Baron describes a emotionally mature person as having the capacity to withstand delay in satisfaction of needs, ability to tolerate a reasonable amount of frustration, has belief in long-term planning and is capable of delaying or revising expectations in terms of demands of situation, has capacity to make effective adjustment with themselves, members of family, his peers in the school, society and culture. Maturity is not only the capacity for these attitudes and functioning but also it is the ability to enjoy them fully (as cited in Singh & Bhargava, 1990).  According to Hollingworth (1928) an emotionally mature person will be capable of responding in gradation or degree of emotional responses, he does not respond in all or none fashion, but keeps within bounds. He will be able to delay his responses as controlled with the impulsiveness of young child. And he will also be able to handle self-pity (as cited in Singh & Bhargava, 1990).