Related topics: children
Adult
hideThe 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
Strategic video game improves critical cognitive skills in older adults
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 11, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (30) |
1
A desire to rule the world may be a good thing if you're over 60 and worried about losing your mental faculties. A new study found that adults in their 60s and 70s can improve a number of cognitive functions by playing a ...
American adults flunk basic science
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Mar 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (19) |
25
Are Americans flunking science? A new national survey commissioned by the California Academy of Sciences and conducted by Harris Interactive reveals that the U.S. public is unable to pass even a basic scientific literacy ...
As good as it gets?
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 11, 2008 |
4 / 5 (21) |
4
Albert Einstein once quipped, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." The famous scientist might have added that the illusion of reality shifts over time. According to a new Brandeis University study ...
Old and young brains rely on different systems to remember emotional content
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 16, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (14) |
1
Neuroscientists from Duke University Medical Center have discovered that older people use their brains differently than younger people when it comes to storing memories, particularly those associated with negative emotions.
Achieving Fame, Wealth, and Beauty are Psychological Dead Ends, Study Says
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
May 14, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (14) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- If you think having loads of money, fetching looks, or the admiration of many will improve your life — think again. A new study by three University of Rochester researchers demonstrates that progress on these ...
Brain noise is a good thing
Biology /
Jul 04, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (11) |
0
Canadian scientists have shown that a noisy brain is a healthy brain.
New research suggests key to happiness is gratitude -- and men may be locked out
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Mar 13, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (11) |
4
With Mother's Day, Father's Day and high school and college graduations upcoming, there will be plenty of gift-giving and well wishes. When those start pouring in, let yourself be grateful—it's the best way to achieve happiness ...
Adults easily fooled by children's false denials
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 17, 2008 |
3.3 / 5 (11) |
4
Adults are easily fooled when a child denies that an actual event took place, but do somewhat better at detecting when a child makes up information about something that never happened, according to new research from the University ...
Commonly used medications may produce cognitive impairment in older adults
Jun 01, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (8) |
2
Many drugs commonly prescribed to older adults for a variety of common medical conditions including allergies, hypertension, asthma, and cardiovascular disease appear to negatively affect the aging brain causing ...
Alzheimer's Gene Alters Brain Function in Young Adults
Sep 10, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The gene most closely linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease affects brain activity in young adults -- much earlier in life than previously reported -- according to researchers at Duke ...
Study suggests 86 percent of Americans could be overweight or obese by 2030
Jul 28, 2008 |
3.7 / 5 (9) |
0
Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the ...
Scientists find more evidence the aging brain is easily distracted
Nov 25, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
1
Canadian researchers have found more evidence that older adults aren't able to filter out distracting information as well as younger adults.
Increasing number of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D
Mar 23, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
1
Average blood levels of vitamin D appear to have decreased in the United States between 1994 and 2004, according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Protein made by fat cells may increase risk of heart attack in older adults
Jul 31, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (6) |
0
Adiponectin, a protein produced by fat cells, may play a pivotal and counterintuitive role in cardiovascular health for older Americans according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & ...
Psychiatric disorders common among college-age individuals; few seek treatment
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 01, 2008 |
3.7 / 5 (7) |
0
Psychiatric disorders appear to be common among 18- to 24-year-olds, with overall rates similar among those attending or not attending college, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Almost ...
