For the upcoming 2008 British film by Noel Clarke see Adulthood (film). Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is an English Actor, director and writer from London. Adulthood (also spelt as AdULTHOOD) is a British film directed written and starring Noel Clarke.

The term adult has three distinct meanings:

• Grown man or woman; mature person.
• Plant or animal that has reached full growth.
• One who is legally of age. Opposed to minor.

Adulthood can be defined in terms of biology, psychological adult development, law, personal character, or social status. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Adult Development is a branch of Developmental Psychology. One simple breakdown of the field is to look at its three dimensions Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society These different aspects of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory. A person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavioral characteristics 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 the 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. Coming of age is a young person's transition from Adolescence to Adulthood The age at which this transition takes place varies in society as does the nature Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally-specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

Although adult education simply means education for adults, not particularly sex education, "adult" also means "not considered suitable for children," in particular as a euphemism for being related to sexual behaviour. Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults Sex education is a broad term used to describe Education about human sexual anatomy, Sexual reproduction, Sexual intercourse, Reproductive CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener or in the case of doublespeak Human sexual behavior or different human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners ( Mating and display

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

Biological adulthood

Adulthood is generally understood as the time when physical maturation is complete. One reaches their maximum height and secondary sex characteristics form such as body hair and facial hair, voice lowers in pitch (especially noticeable in men), and menses begin (women). Secondary sex characteristics are traits that distinguish the two Sexes of a species but that are not directly part of the Reproductive system. Androgenic hair, colloquially Body hair, is the Terminal hair on the Human body developed during and after Puberty. Facial hair is a Secondary sex characteristic in human Males Many Men start developing facial hair in the later years of Puberty, approximately The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiologic changes that occurs in reproductive-age Females Overt menstruation (where there is blood flow from the Natural sleep patterns change in adulthood, as adults typically require less sleep than during adolescence. One aspect people do not specify is what (psychologically) an adult is. A common theory is that adulthood is the real test of life, to experience the world from a first-person standpoint instead of through the parents. Then the adult can pass those experiences down to younger people and they can experience them when they become adults.

Legal adulthood

Main article: Age of majority

Legally it means that one can engage in a contract. The age of majority is the threshold of Adulthood as it is conceptualized (and recognized or declared in Law. A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do or refrain from doing an act which is enforceable in a court of law The same or a different minimum age may be applicable to, for example, parents losing parenting rights and duties regarding the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility, marriage, voting, having a job, being a soldier, buying/possessing firearms (if legal at all), driving, traveling abroad, involvement with alcoholic beverages (if legal at all), smoking, sex, gambling (both lottery and casino) being a prostitute or a client of a prostitute (if legal at all), being a model or actor in pornography, etc. Parenting is the process of raising and educating a Child from birth, or before until Adulthood In the case of humans it is usually NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion Driving is the controlled operation of a land Vehicle, usually a Motor vehicle such as a Truck or a car. Tobacco Smoking is the inhalation of smoke from burned dried or cured leaves of the Tobacco plant most often in the form of a Cigarette. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual A lottery is a form of Gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize A casino is in the modern sense of the word a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of Gambling activities Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of Sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer Admission of a young person to a place may be restricted because of danger for that person, and/or because of the risk that the young person causes damage (for example, at an exhibition of fragile items).

One can distinguish the legality of acts of a young person, and of enabling a young person to carry out that act, by selling, renting out, showing, permitting entrance, participating, etc. There may be distinction between commercially and socially enabling. Sometimes there is the requirement of supervision by a legal guardian, or just by an adult. A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty to care for the personal and Property interests of another person called a ward Sometimes there is no requirement, but just a recommendation.

With regard to pornography one can distinguish:

• being allowed inside an adult establishment
• being allowed to purchase pornography
• being allowed to possess pornography
• another person being allowed to sell, rent out, or show the young person pornography, see disseminating pornography to a minor
• being a model or actor in pornography: rules for the young person, and for other people, regarding production, possession, etc. (see child pornography)

With regard to films with violence, etc. Child pornography refers to material depicting Children being in a state of undress engaged in erotic poses or sexual activity :

• another person being allowed to sell, rent out, or show the young person the film, a cinema being allowed to let the young person (under 18) enter

The legal definition of entering adulthood usually varies between ages 15–21, depending on the region in question. Some cultures in Africa define adult at age 13.

According to Jewish tradition, adulthood is reached at age 13 (the age of the Bar Mitzvah), for Jewish boys, for example, were expected to demonstrate preparation for adulthood by learning the Torah and other Jewish practices. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ In Judaism, Bar Mitzvah ( Hebrew: בר מצוה "one (m to whom the commandments apply" Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה "one (f term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to The Christian Bible and Jewish scripture has no age requirement for adulthood or marrying, which includes engaging in sexual activity. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Human sexual behavior or different human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners ( Mating and display According to The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman, the Christian Church of the Middle Ages considered the age of accountability, when a person could be tried and even executed as an adult, to be age 7 . Neil Postman ( March 8, 1931 - October 5, 2003) was an American professor media theorist, and cultural critic who is best Church (disambiguation Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian association of people and a Place of worship Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment.

In most of the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, the legal adult age is 18, with some exceptions:

1. Iran (21)
2. Indonesia and Japan (20)
3. South Korea & British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Yukon Territory in Canada (19)

Personal characteristics

There are some qualities that symbolize adultness in most cultures. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. There is not always a correlation between the qualities and the physical age of the person.

The adult character comprises:

• Self-control - restraint, emotional control.
• Stability - stable personality, strength.
• Independence - ability to self-regulate.
• Seriousness - ability to deal with life in a serious manner.
• Responsibility - accountability, commitment and reliability.
• Method/Tact - ability to think ahead and plan for the future, patience.
• Endurance - ability and willingness to cope with difficulties that present themselves.
• Experience - breadth of mind, understanding.
• Objectivity - perspective and realism.
• Decision making capability - as all of the above correspond to making proper decisions.

See also

• Baligh
• Adolescence
• Adult development
• Child
• Watershed (television)
• Age of consent
• Manhood
• Womanhood
• Motion picture rating system
• Adultism
• Ageism

References

External links

• Table 8. Age of Independence US and UK legal age guide. In Islamic Legal terminology Baligh or Bulugh (بالغ or بُلوغ refers to a person who has reached maturity or Puberty and has full responsibility Adult Development is a branch of Developmental Psychology. One simple breakdown of the field is to look at its three dimensions CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder The Watershed is a term used to describe a time in television schedules which divides the period when it is permissible to show television programmes which have ' Adult content' While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal Statutes when used with in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at A man is a Male Human. The term man (irregular plural A motion picture rating system categorizes films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex violence substance abuse profanity impudence or other types Adultism is a predisposition towards Adults, which some see as biased against children youth and all young people who aren't addressed or viewed as adults Ageism is Stereotyping and Prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age