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Age of majority, the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized (and recognized or declared) in law Puberty , the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction
Maturity has different definitions across legal, social, religious, political, sexual, emotional, and intellectual contexts. [4] The age or qualities assigned for each of these contexts are tied to culturally-significant indicators of independence that often vary as a result of social sentiments.
Age of majority should not be confused with the age of maturity, age of sexual consent, age of criminal responsibility, marriageable age, school-leaving age, legal working age, drinking age, driving age, voting age, smoking age, gambling age, etc., which each may be independent of and set at a different age from the age of majority.
The typical age of legal majority is 18 years in most contexts, although the definition of majority may vary by legal rights and country. Human adulthood encompasses psychological adult development. Definitions of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory; an adolescent may be biologically an adult and display adult behavior but still ...
One recent area of debate within the science of brain development is the most likely chronological age for full mental maturity, or indeed, if such an age even exists. Common claims repeated in the media since 2005 (based upon interpretations of imaging data) have commonly suggested an "end-point" of 25, referring to the prefrontal cortex as ...
The concept of adulthood has legal and socio-cultural definitions. The legal definition [4] of an adult is a person who is fully grown or developed. This is referred to as the age of majority, which is age 18 in most cultures, although there is a variation from 15 to 21. The typical perception of adulthood is that it starts at age 20 or 21.
The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual or spiritual event. In the past, and in some societies today, such a change is often associated with the age of sexual maturity , especially menarche and spermarche. [1]
Legal age or codified age refers to age at which a person may legally engage in a certain activity, or purchase or possess a certain product or substance. Most frequently, this is the age of majority (also known as the "age of maturity"), the threshold of adulthood as recognized in law. [citation needed] Other ages of legal significance include: