People Online List 20 Signs Of An Emotionally Stunted Adult
Being a child has quite a lot of charm; you are young and innocent and everything in the world seems brand new and exciting. When you’re a child, every experience is full of possibility, some would even say magical but with time we leave those light-hearted energies behind and accept the gravitas of adulthood.
Well, at least most of us do. However, some people do get left behind in the rat race of life. As most people age and embrace the concept of ‘adulting’, others resist and display these character traits in a myriad of ways. The online communities have discussed what signs such physically grown but emotionally immature adults emit to give us an indication of their stunted maturity and we’ve shared the best of the lot below.
More info: Reddit
#1
Reacts badly to hearing “no” instead of calmly accepting it like an adult.
#2
Black and white thinking. Not taking accountability for their actions and always finding a way to blame someone else for their mistakes. Refuses to apologize or “I’m sorry you feel that way” apologies. Won’t listen to or seems uninterested in your opinions. dismisses or invalidates your feelings. Oblivious to emotional or social cues after repeated attempts or conversations. Disrespects or argues against your boundaries.
#3
When he never admits he’s wrong. Also, a lack of emotional regulation. A mature man is able to understand his emotions, process them and properly communicate them.
#4
Being quick to anger which results into destroying things like punching holes in walls or breaking furniture. Added bonus when they aren’t the ones who fix their messes.
#5
Misogyny and racism.
#6
Calling women “females”, describing themselves as traditional in terms of relationships or gender roles, or wanting a relationship just to have children.
#7
Being an Andrew Tate fan
Andrew Tate, a social media influencer and a former professional kickboxer, is a self-described misogynist. He says women belong at home, can’t drive, and are a man’s property. He was arrested in 2022 in Romania. He is suspected of human trafficking and forming an organized crime group. Still, his videos have 11.6 billion views on TikTok.
#8
He thinks periods are ick and throws a tantrum if you send him out to pick up tampons.
#9
Dating a significantly younger girl and then lying to his mother and friends about your age because he’s not comfortable with telling them your real age because deep down he knows it’s wrong (an actual experience)
#10
Avoiding responsibility. No accountability for his own actions.
#11
Insecurity. They brag or show off, especially to other men or about ‘macho’ things- how many women they have [made love] with, women they want to [make love] with (yeah, Charlize Theron is going go for a dude with a neckbeard), how tough they are, their truck / guns/ love of MMA. Performative masculinity.
Or conversely they try to build themselves up by putting others down. Some men do this really obviously. But with some men, it’s more subtle. They seem like an ok guy, then out of left field ‘women take good men for granted and just want a wallet.’
Obviously, all men don’t have fragile male egos. But the ones who do are insufferable.
#12
Hot headed, can’t apologize, doesn’t know how to clean, needs you to be a parent to him, doesn’t take care of himself/ doesn’t try to improve in life ECT ECT. (This doesn’t just apply to men though)
#13
Thinking that watching him do something he enjoys but that you can’t join in with is going to be the highlight of your night. This is a toddler showing off in front of mom so that she’ll lavish him with praise. If he’s this self-centered when he’s being nice imagine what a nightmare he is when he’s throwing a tantrum.
#14
That he can’t accept when a woman expresses that she doesn’t want a romantic relationship with him and that she doesn’t want to remain in contact with him. So he takes the “biggest sore loser” approach and makes up stories about her/talks trash about her on social media and to anyone who will listen. Then he claims himself to be the victim and she is the one who “ruined his life.”
#15
This sounds dumb but playing a game with him. Like a simple no stakes card/board game. If he throws a hissy fit because he didn’t win (especially if he’s never played before) he is immature and shows his true personality.
#16
Victim mentality. Somehow his ex’s are always the one who have done him wrong. Not knowing how to realize or articulate their emotions. No ambition AND no action towards making those ambitions reality.
#17
Everything is a joke to him.
Humor can help release tension or to express one’s feelings without fully committing to them. However, it can and often is used to disguise the truth, keep another person at distance, distract oneself from engaging with feelings behind the joke, and avoid self-awareness.
#18
Using all kinds of excuses to act poorly. His mental health, his parents, past relationships, you, etc etc. All people have their scars but an adult recognizes them, takes ownership/accountability for them and takes action to make themselves better.
#19
When he’s lived at his apartment for a period of time & it looks like he just moved in. Stuff still in bins/containers. A single couch, TV, & gaming system in his living room, little to no other furniture. No pillowcases, sheets on the bed, or just a mattress on the floor. Nothing on the walls except a few Kobe Bryant posters. Piles of laundry everywhere, piles of dishes everywhere. Hanging bed sheets in place of curtains, or no curtains at all. Messy floors & counters, stains, etc. Only knows how to cook kraft dinner & frozen pizza.
#20
When having those emotionally deep conversations or being vulnerable with them. They laugh it off, dismiss it, change the subject, or try to debate it like your feelings aren’t really your feelings. They could also blow up and become mad or upset at these feelings too. Instead of empathizing, understanding, or trying to comprehend what you are feeling.
They will side step any emotional depth and keep everything surface level or compensate by being overly sexual. Because emotional vulnerability is really scary for them /s so they gave to compensate with the physical vulnerable by being a gross creepy perv.
They will have an excuse for everything. And nothing is ever their fault. So being broke in mountains of debt and unemployed. Is because of circumstance not because of their own choices and decisions. And not understanding the amount of s**t they are really in.
Shanilou Perera
Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.
