Does the ‘Maturity Principle’ Hold for Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills? A Study on Age Differences From 18 to 65

Abstract

The maturity principle posits that socially desirable personality traits, such as agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability, tend to increase across adulthood. This study examined whether this principle extends to social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills by investigating age differences in a representative sample of N = 940 German adults (age range: 18–65, mean age = 43, SD = 14, 50 % female) using moderated non-linear factor analysis models and comparing them to age differences in Big Five traits in a demographically comparable sample. Additionally, we explored age-specific associations between SEB skills and life quality, measured by life satisfaction and self-rated health. Contrary to the widely accepted maturity principle, we found few corresponding age differences in SEB skills, whereas the expected age-related patterns were evident in Big Five traits. These results remained consistent regardless of the level of measurement invariance. Some skills showed lower mean levels in older adults, and skill variances differed with age. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the maturity principle known from the Big Five literature does not fully generalize to SEB skills. This cross-sectional study lays the groundwork for future longitudinal research on SEB skills and highlights the importance of considering individuals within context. Plain Language Summary The maturity principle proposes that, on average, people become more emotionally stable, organized and friendlier as they age. This has been studied for Big Five personality traits, but not for social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills–capacities people can draw on when needed to regulate their emotions, maintain positive social relationships, and manage their goals. However, this principle has recently been criticized for being overly simplistic. We investigated whether the maturity principle applies to SEB skills in addition to Big Five traits. For this purpose, we examined age differences in two demographically representative German samples aged 18 to 65: one sample focused on SEB skills, the other on Big Five traits. Surprisingly, we found little support for the maturity principle in SEB skills, whereas it was more clearly observable in Big Five traits. While the desirable personality traits were higher in older than in younger adults, this pattern did not generalize to SEB skills. This divergence suggests that the maturity principle does not hold for SEB skills and they may develop differently from related personality traits, depending on context.