Immaturity: Unsafe at Any Age
Delayed development can leave devastating emotional scars, particularly for males.
By Dr T J Jordan
Growing older is not always the same as growing wiser, happier, more intelligent or more emotionally fulfilled. And when we’re talking about maturation, we continue to see that males develop more slowly than females.
Do those of us who lag behind in development catch up later?
Statistics supposedly suggest that the answer is “yes.” But psychologically, the answer is a resounding “no” because lagging development — whether physical or emotional — leaves permanent scars.
Early Signs of Change
When young girls are beginning to show budding breasts, boys are still children.
We typically look at development in terms of sexual development — the onset of puberty. In the development of secondary sex characteristics and growth, boys lag behind girls by about two years.
However, there’s something else that matters here besides timing: male sexual development is marked by some very obvious signs (Tanner Stages), including facial…
