Maturity is a Choice:

By Doug McCulley and Karol Hess

Product Details Paperback Publisher: College Press Publishing Company (April 1994) Language: English ISBN-10: 0899006795 ISBN-13: 978-0899006796 Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.4 x 4 inches Shipping... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0899006795
• ISBN13: 9780899006796
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: College Press Publishing Company
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.6" x 9.4" x 4.0"

Customer Reviews

Maturity Is a Choice

The process of maturation which takes place in college is part of the broader life-experience discussed in Maturity Is a Choice: Not Everyone Who Grows Old Chooses to Grow Up by Karol Hess and Doug McCulley (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company, c. 1994). The authors begin their treatise with a statement by Warren Wiersbe which gives the book its title: "'Not everyone who grows old, grows up. There is a vast difference between age and maturity'" (p. 15). Consequently, Wiersbe continues, there are "problems--problems in personal lives, in homes, and in churches." Though we may need it, the authors lament, "Mature character is becoming an antiquated notion. Today's instant generation has little respect for diligence or tolerance for patience. Instant gratification is preferable to diligence. Cleverness has replaced character and integrity" (p. 16). To counteract this the authors have written this book! To discuss any subject, it's always wise to carefully define it. In brief: "Maturity is tested strength" (p. 178). Hess and McCulley insist maturity is something attained while walking the right road, whose end is ultimate maturity or perfection. In a very real sense, a 15 year-old can be "mature" for his age, though lacking some of the skills of an "immature" 35 year-old. Primarily, maturity is a goal to be pursued, so it's always an elusive mirage which allures us. But it is, in fact, composed of qualities which we can, furthermore, acquire as we seek to attain it. Mature people are "dependable, responsible, and consistent" (p. 20). They've learned from the ups and downs of life. They live proactively rather than reactively. They learn to look at their world as objectively as possible, learning to discern right from wrong, accurately reading reality, dealing with the truth about their own potential as well as the world's conditions. Doing so frees them from the dysfunctional behaviors so prevalent in our world. "One of the common indicators of dysfunction is being Over- or under-responsible," say the authors. "One of the earmarks of maturity is being able to discriminate between those things for which we are and are not responsible. Many of us continue to do for others what they should be doing for themselves" (p. 226). One way to stay on the right road, the route called maturity, is to straighten our "crooked thinking." Healthy thinking keeps one sane as well as helps one mature! Such thinking keeps us in touch with reality, keeps us from living in imaginary worlds. We need to see people as they really not as we wish they were. All too often, in our hunger approval, we blind ourselves to their real character. "We yearn for acceptance from others," say the authors, "and may even allow this craving to override what we know to be right and true. This is the essence of codependency. To live for approval is to be at the mercy of everyone from whom we want that approval" (p. 59). To keep u