How Emotionally Mature Are You? (You’ll Need a Pen and Paper!)

How emotionally mature are you? We humans don't all develop at the same rate or in the same way. Some of us have to slip into the shoes of a mature adult early in life, long before we are emotionally ready. Still others manage to keep their inner child alive throughout their lives, displaying at the far end of the spectrum the excited emotional behavior of a teenager in a hormonal frenzy.

Growing up is not a static event that happens automatically when we reach a certain age or enter the workforce. We may have more responsibilities in life, but that's why we can still be in the sandbox emotionally. If you've ever wanted to know how pronounced your emotional maturity really is, we have a quiz for you today. Of course, such tests don't provide any scientifically sound facts. But maybe the result is still surprising for you.

1. How often do you feel like a mature person?

(A) Always (B) Most of the time (C) Don't know (D) Usually (E) Never.

2. How do you feel when people say bad things about you?

(A) It annoys me every time. (B) It annoys me most of the time. (C) I don't know (D) It annoys me a little. (E) It doesn't bother me at all.

3. What do you think about your attitude toward yourself?

(A) I always have a positive attitude toward myself. (B) Most of the time, I have a positive self-image of myself. (C) Don't know (D) I typically don’t have good image of myself. (E) I have never had a positive attitude toward myself.

4. How aware are you of your personal strengths and weaknesses?

(A) They are always present to me. (B) Most of the time, I recognize them. (C) I don't know (D) Sometimes I see them clearly in front of me. (E) I've never had a clear idea of them.

5. How do you respond to emotional discomfort?

(A) I always try to get to the bottom of it. (B) I usually try to find the reasons for it. (C) I don't know (D) I usually just move on. (E) I never investigate it further.

6. How well can you put yourself in other people's point of view?

(A) I always manage to do that. (B) Most of the time, I manage. (C) I don't know (D) I often can’t. (E) I've never been able to.

7. Do you see yourself as responsible for your personal achievements and failures?

(A) Yes, always (B) Most of the time I do. (C) I don't know (D) Sometimes I don’t (E) No, never.

8. Imagine you are in an extremely stressful situation. How do you act?

(A) I am calmness personified. (B) Most of the time, I manage to stay calm. (C) I don't know (D) Sometimes I have trouble keeping myself under control. (E) I lose my temper.

9. Are you always aware of the feelings you are going through?

(A) Yes, always. (B) Yes, most of the time. (C) Don't know (D) Not always. (E) No, never.

10. To achieve your goals, how do you go about it?

(A) I can always channel my emotions appropriately. (B) Most of the time, I manage to adapt my emotions to the situation. (C) Don't know (D) I sometimes have trouble adapting my emotions to the occasion. (E) My emotions are in control of me, not the other way around.

Now let's move on to the answer key

Did you answer all the questions completely? Now it's time for the resolution. For this you have to assign a certain number of points to each of your answers. For each (A) answer you get five points. Each (B) answer is worth four points. You can reward a (C) answer with three points. Each (D) answer is worth two points. Each (E) answer is worth only one point. Now add up the points. The higher the sum you have calculated, the higher is your emotional maturity. But let's take a closer look at the results.

41 to 50 points.

You have an extremely high emotional maturity. Only a few people have the remarkable ability to always be clear about their emotional state. You don't tend to act rashly until you have calmly reviewed all the facts. If you make mistakes, you own up to them and find ways to undo the damage done. You are very empathetic, which is why you can easily put yourself in other people's shoes.

31 to 40 points.

You undoubtedly have a high emotional maturity. In most situations you act in accordance with your emotions and resist the urge to ignore them. Most of the time, you take responsibility for what you did wrong and try to make amends. Taking the point of view of others usually comes easily to you.

21 to 30 points.

You have a moderate degree of emotional maturity. Sometimes you manage to control your emotions quite well in a certain situation, but other times they take over. It's a similar story with your empathy. Sometimes it is well-developed and serves you well, but in other circumstances you may completely lack understanding for another point of view.  

11 to 20 points.

You struggle to understand your feelings and often find them too overwhelming to cope with. You don't always manage to feel responsible and refuse to admit it when you've messed up. You find it difficult to put yourself in others' shoes.

1 to 10 points.

You have difficulty channeling your feelings according to your biological age. You may never have had the opportunity to learn your emotional and social skills. However, you do not like compromises and always want to go your own way. There is nothing against that, as long as you don't hurt anyone.

Today’s Conclusion

Right or wrong? Are you satisfied with your result? Does your self-assessment correspond to the result? As I said, such tests are always just an indication of direction and are never set in stone. Also, of course, emotional maturity depends on a variety of factors that a mere survey can't really cover. If you feel you should be significantly further along in this point of your development, don't panic.

Life still manages to teach us the lessons we need to make us grow. Enjoy the time when you don't have to play strictly by the rules of the adult world. The seriousness of life takes us all soon enough. If, on the other hand, the test showed that you've already gained quite a bit of ground in terms of emotional maturity, then congratulations. Welcome to the adult club. You'll see that this state brings many advantages. If you know your feelings and can assess them correctly, you will have a clear starting advantage on the race track of life.

Nevertheless, you should not let your inner child fall by the wayside completely. It's best to take it with you on your journey from time to time, it offers you the necessary balance to adulthood and reminds you that the meaning of life unfolds somewhere between play and seriousness.