Why do we reach sexual maturity before emotional maturity?

Question

In a "perfect world," wouldn't we be emotionally capable of dealing with the consequences of sex before puberty when we desire sex?

How does this fit with your religious beliefs?

Answer 1

Because evolution doesn't care that young people aren't able to cope with this bizarre life we've created over the last couple thousand years... We are meant to pass on our genes. Younger organisms have better genetic material than older organisms.

Answer 2

The survival of the human species depends on reaching sexual maturity first. Who in their right mind would willingly have children if they were wise enough to consider the consequences?

[Who? Oh yeah, middle-aged women who imagine they can "have it all." ]

Possibly it was a "slip of the fingers", but it has always been physically impossible for males to have "sex before puberty." Did you really mean to say that?

Personally, my reproductive decisions have had nothing whatever to do with religion. I can't imagine a worse way to decide those issues.

Answer 3

I know people will probably disagree with me on this issue, but the reality is that back in ancient times, "children" were no longer considered to be children by the age of twelve. They were raised in strict families, where they were expected throughout their lives to be full contributors to the well-being of their families and households. Children hunted and gathered food with their parents. They helped prepare food, and make clothing. Older children took care of the younger children. By the time they were twelve years old, they thought and behaved like adults, and were thought of and treated as adults. Children back then were much more emotionally mature than children today, who are essentially thought of and treated like children until they turn eighteen. The more responsibility a child has as a child within their own home and family, the more quickly and fully they will mature emotionally. When parents start to realize that they are raising ADULTS, not CHILDREN, the less problems they'll have with irresponsible youth.

Answer 4

it's a little thing called biological determinism...this is the aspect of the process of evolution whereby sexual maturity is reached at an early age because in the paleolithic world of our ancestors, they seldom lived long enough to reach 'emotional maturity' . and since a living things sole purpose is to pass its genes on to the next generation, evolution dictates that this happens as soon as possible.

life really is very simple when viewed through the proper lens isn't it?

Answer 5

Evolution favors those who spread their seed the widest, regardless of how well you deal with it. If there is a route by which another five years could be knocked off the time until puberty while still giving females wide enough hips to pass a child and males enough musculature to compete for them, evolution will find it eventually.

Answer 6

Perhaps "emotional maturity" is a social concept and not a natural one. Given that a sexually mature individual has everything they need to successfully reproduce and depending on the environment can successfully rear their offspring, I'd say that emotional maturity is a secondary concern.

Answer 7

In more primitive societies, the difference between the two is negligible. It is only in our modern, western societies, that emotional maturity is held back, and physical maturity is pushed forward.

When 12 year olds are have role models who dress like sluts and have the brain power of a fruit fly, it is really no wonder.

Answer 8

If we didn't reach sexual maturity until after we had reached emotional maturity the human species might come to an end. Some people NEVER reach emotional maturity.

Answer 9

sexual maturity (physical) is almost entirely genetic.

emotional maturity (mental) is almost entirely environmental and societal

because (most) modern societies have decided that humans should not be having sex at the age of 12-13 or so, such societies do not prepare their young quite so early to deal with the birds and bees realities.

long story short: nature is consistent, humans are arbitrary and fickle. nature determines when a person should be reproductive, humans in their wisdom (sic?) think otherwise and invent artificial cultural/social rules to govern themselves. it isn't necessary (or even perhaps desirable) that such rules should actually reflect the reality of nature or of natural development.

Answer 10

Pretty much the same reason children learn to run before they learn not to run into things - you have to have the capability before you can learn to control it. And, as several others have pointed out, "control" is a cultural concept imposed on a natural function and means different things in different cultures.