Adult

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The term adult has at least three distinct meanings. It can indicate a biologically grown or mature person. It may also mean a plant, animal, or person who has reached full growth or alternatively is capable of reproduction, or the classification legal adult, generally determined as a person who has attained the legally fixed age of majority; as opposed to a minor.

Adulthood can be defined in biology, psychological adult development, law, personal character, or social status. These different aspects of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory. A person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavior but still be treated as a child if they are under the legal age of majority. Conversely one may legally be an adult but possess none of the maturity and responsibility that define adult character.

Coming of age is an event; passing a series of tests to demonstrate the child is prepared for adulthood; or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally-specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

Some propose that moving into adulthood involves an emotional structuring of denial, suggesting this process becomes necessary to cope with one's own behavior, especially in uncomfortable situations, and also the behavior of others.

For more information about Adult, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with adults

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Switzerland restricts use of GlaxoSmithKline swine flu vaccine

Medicine & Health / Medications

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Switzerland on Friday restricted the use of British drugs group GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu vaccine Pandemrix, excluding pregnant women, minors and people over the age of 60.


Changing behavior helps patients take medication as prescribed

Changing behavior helps patients take medication as prescribed

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Taking medication as the doctor prescribes is crucial to improving health. However, 26 to 59 percent of older adults do not adhere to instructions, according to a 2003 study published in Drugs and Aging. In ...


The Protein for Quick Decision-Makers

Medicine & Health / Research

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Everyday, people are required to make decisions quickly and flexibly. In a flash, they must weigh up the advantages, disadvantages and possible consequences of their behaviour and coordinate it with the relevant ...


Aerobic exercise no big stretch for older adults but helps elasticity of arteries

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 25, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Just three months of physical activity reaps heart health benefits for older adults with type 2 diabetes by improving the elasticity in their arteries - reducing risk of heart disease and stroke, Dr. Kenneth Madden told the ...


No elder left behind: Researchers say designers can help close tech gap

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Oct 22, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

While more older adults than ever are using cell phones and computers, a technology gap still exists that threatens to turn senior citizens into second-class citizens, according to Florida State University researchers.


Illness often undiscovered and undertreated among the uninsured

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 20, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study shows uninsured American adults with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high cholesterol often go undiagnosed and undertreated, leading to an increased risk of costly, disabling and even lethal complications of ...


First-time Internet users find boost in brain function after just 1 week

First-time Internet users find boost in brain function after just one week

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Oct 19, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (4) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control ...


Is my robot happy to see me?

Is my robot happy to see me?

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Oct 19, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- People are social creatures. Robots... not so much. When we think of robots, we think of cold, metallic computers without emotion. If science fiction has taught us anything, though, it's that ...


Older adults want robots that do more than vacuum, human factors/ergonomics researchers find

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Oct 14, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Researchers at Georgia Tech have discovered that, contrary to previous assumptions, older adults are more amenable than younger ones to having a robot "perform critical monitoring tasks that would require little interaction ...


Blood ties -- younger generation more willing to donate blood

Medicine & Health / Other

created Oct 13, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Youth may not bring wisdom but, according to a new study from Canada, it does bring generosity as young adults are found to be the most likely to donate blood. The research, published in BioMed Central's open access International Jo ...


Simple tool can boost motivation, improve health in older adults

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Oct 08, 2009 | popularity 2.8 / 5 (4) | comments 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a tool, the "Getting-Out-of-Bed (GoB) measure" to assess motivation and life outlook in older adults. The study, which appears ...


Child burn injuries down significantly

Child burn injuries down significantly (w/ Video)

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 05, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

In the next 60 seconds, another child will be on his/her way to the hospital to be treated for serious burns; it happens more than 300 times a day in this country. Now, one of the largest studies ever done ...


A pet in your life keeps the doctor away

Medicine & Health / Health

created Sep 28, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Lowers blood pressure, encourages exercise, improves psychological health— these may sound like the effects of a miracle drug, but they are actually among the benefits of owning a four-legged, furry pet. This fall, the University ...


Linking weight loss to less sleep apnea

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Sep 28, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

More than 12 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleep apnea, most common among the overweight and obese. More than just loud snoring, it can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease and a poor quality ...


Young adults visit doctors least at an age when risky behavior peaks

Medicine & Health / Health

created Sep 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

When adolescents graduate to young adulthood, their preventive care tends to fall by the wayside. A recent study has found that young adults are much less likely to use ambulatory or preventive care, even though their mortality ...