8 Signs You’re Finally an Adult (2024)

FAQs

8 Signs You’re Finally an Adult? ›

“Whether it's paying your own utility bills, spending less money on nights out, or taking out your first ever contents insurance policy – these are just some of the key indicators that you are well on your way to becoming an 'official' grown-up, whether you feel like one or not!”

“Whether it's paying your own utility bills, spending less money on nights out, or taking out your first ever contents insurance policy – these are just some of the key indicators that you are well on your way to becoming an 'official' grown-up, whether you feel like one or not!”

Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word majority here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to minority, the state of being a minor.

In Western societies, adulthood has been traditionally measured by socio-demographic milestones such as having a stable job, buying a house, getting married, and having children.

The age of majority refers to the age at which a person will be defined by law to be an adult. This will be accompanied by the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. The age of majority varies from state by state and from country to country. Most countries have set the age of 18 being the age of majority.

'Adulthood means being responsible for where you are going, what you are going to do with the rest of your life, and being responsible enough to make the right decisions or the wrong ones, whichever it be.

Arnett found that most people began to feel like an adult somewhere between the ages of 18 and 29: early in this period, he explains, very few people feel like adults, but by the end of it, almost everybody he asked replied yes, they did.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines adulthood as “the state or condition of being fully grown or mature,” but what does that really mean? Across the world, the point at which you become an adult largely falls between the ages of 15 and 21, with 18 being the most common.

Early Middle Age (ages 35--44), Late Middle Age (ages 45--64), and Late Adulthood (ages 65 and older).

How do you know when you're grown-up? ›

Historically, adulthood in the U.S. has rested on completing one's education, moving away from the family of origin, and beginning one's career. Other key historical criteria include entering a marriage and becoming a parent.

These characteristics included a list of 'markers of adulthood' that researchers have compiled previously, such as being married, being a parent, and reaching the legal age, as well as more psychological ones such as 'accepting responsibility for the consequences of my actions' and 'deciding on my beliefs and values ...

The adult milestones examined are financial independence, completing education, working full-time, leaving parents' home, getting married, and having children.

Maturity, responsibility and brain development together should be the deciding factors of adulthood. It's true, 18- and 19-year-olds are able to understand the world around them just fine and do not need to be protected like children. But when it comes to making life decisions, we're not the best at it; I won't lie.

But even in the realms where it should be easiest to define the difference—law, physical development—adulthood defies simplicity. In the United States, you can't drink until you are 21, but legal adulthood, along with voting and the ability to join the military, comes at age 18.

Most countries recognize 18 as the start of adulthood by granting various freedoms and privileges. Yet there's no exact age or moment in development that we can point to as having reached full maturity.

In the human context, the term adult has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a non-adult or "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible. They may also be regarded as "majors".