Posted 7:11 AM by Blah blah

More on Emotional Maturity (Psychology)

Esther really enjoyed that list I mentioned about what is emotionally immature vs. mature behavior. Click her pic for full-size.

I'm so glad you found that page valuable, Esther! As someone who has had to live and deal with emotionally immature, older people throughout my whole life, I'm very familiar with that internal conflict you go through about that person. You care about him/her, but all your efforts to change or improve his/her maturity seem to fail. How long do you keep gnashing your teeth trying to change that person?

It took me a long time to learn to let go and move on to new positive relationships, to not get too personally involved in someone's immaturity. Like you felt with your ex, I found that the longer I was stuck there trying to "fix" that person, the worse I began to behave myself.

Nowadays I can be very unemotional about cutting off relationships with emotionally draining people, precisely because I used to be the opposite way. I used to care and invest my heart in it and come away feeling exhausted and foolish. Now I think of the good I'd rather be doing with people who are worth it. My life became much smoother and happier once I made that decision.

With immature coworkers, family, and relatives, of course it's hard to "cut it off" with them. But I've learned to accept them as they are much more, for my own sanity. I just hold back somewhat and keep relations at a more superficial level. And I keep our lives separate.