Women show the ways to maturity
By Bruce Bower
There’s no single way to achieve a well-adjusted life. However, there are at least three different but equally effective paths that lead to psychological maturity, according to a 39-year study of women who were first contacted as college seniors.
The study, in the June Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, traces psychological development in 111 graduates of a private women’s college. Participants completed questionnaires at five points between ages 21 and 60. Their psychological maturity was rated on a variety of scales. Only a handful of the woman in the study experienced serious emotional problems that blocked their development.