To live in such a diverse world where people are different from one another means to have different ways of thinking depending on your background. Almost twenty years ago psychologist Robert McCrae and his colleague found out through research that culture had a huge impact on children’s personalities. Since then, the world has been fascinated to understand the real impact a birthplace has on the development of a person. For example, people raised in Europe tended to be more outgoing and individualistic; however, in Asian countries, people worked toward a more collective society. However, how do these differences impact the transition into adulthood? Cultural perspectives on transitioning to adulthood have historically varied, exemplified by American emphasis on independence and Japanese societal homogeneity, yet modern phenomena, especially in economically developing nations like Japan, show a shift towards individualism, prolonging maturation and cultural ambiguity.

What does it mean to be mature? According to The Online Etymology Dictionary, the word maturation comes from the Latin word mātūrare, which means "to ripen, grow ripe; make ripe; to quicken". Today, it stands for the process through which a child changes into an adult. As a process, it takes a long time and is affected by many things which may be biological, genetic, and as studies show, also environmental. This makes maturing an epigenetic process because “because it involves the emergence of new structures and functions through bidirectional relations between all levels of biological and experiential variables”. In a more non-scientific language, it would mean that your environment changes the way your genes work, concluding that culture has some impact on the way you mature.

Adulthood varies across cultures, marked by different rituals and responsibilities. In a previous article by Jeffrey Arnett, he looks at the answers from America’s young adults, realizing that they view becoming an adult as a process rather than a discrete event. The most prevalent response one would receive when inquiring about their status as adults would typically be “in some ways yes, in some ways no”. Major criteria are “accepting responsibility for oneself, making independent decisions, and becoming financially independent”. As these criteria are interconnected, we can observe how American culture, or the cultures cultivated within economically developed parts of Europe, are focused on individuality. However, it's important to note that not all cultures share the same perspectives. For instance, many young Israelis consider military service as an integral aspect of adulthood. Mormons of the Christian religion, view the traditional marriage roles and rites of passage unique to their religion important as markers of being an adult. Arnett later suggests that ‘‘emerging adulthood is not a universal period but a period that exists only in cultures that postpones the entry into adult roles and responsibilities until well past the late teens’, providing insight into the profound impact culture has on the concept of maturity.

Exploring the diverse cultural landscapes of different nations sheds light on varying perspectives on maturation and adulthood. Japan and the United States, with their distinct cultural identities, offer intriguing contrasts in their views on this journey of growth and self-discovery. Maturation is a process that begins constructing its structures within a person from birth. For example, Japanese mothers are more likely “to emphasize responsiveness oriented within the dyad, and American mothers to emphasize environment-oriented responsiveness by incorporating the world outside the dyad into their interactions”. Japanese mothers are always observing their children, checking if they are okay; American mothers on the other hand leave more freedom to their children in terms of social interactions. Eye-to-eye contact also indicates different things for the mother and the child as observations show how Japanese mothers use dyadic interaction, which means they use eye contact to create a close, intimate interaction that includes the dyad (pair of something, in this case, mother and child). American mothers, on the other hand, use extra-dyadic interaction, which serves as an opportunity to encourage interaction beyond just themselves, like other objects or people. This shows the difference created early on, where in one culture it’s a closed relationship in which the child’s main focus is the mother, and then the other relationship focuses on creating connections outside of the dyad.

As we established emerging adulthood takes a different meaning as we look at different cultures, so it is only logical to assume the same for our two study cases. According to Rohlen, in Japan, “adulthood is a time of becoming, not being”, and in this time there are different roles and spiritual achievements one must achieve to be respected within society. Men, for example, are silently required to be masters at a job and live upon the traditional rules of marriage where they provide and dominate the family. Women on the other hand, go through a “pre-marital ‘flowering’ to womanhood” (a time in which a woman takes less care of her appearance and more of her role as an upcoming wife), and after this process, it is expected to have a respectable husband and to grant him children. However, in addition to this, physical maturity still doesn’t fulfill what is needed to be considered an adult; it is spiritually important to perform different rites which will open a new stage of your life. The two words used on a vast dimension, are ki and kokoro. Japanese being a complicated language with no strings attached to English, makes it difficult to translate these words.  In most translations, kokoro means ‘mind,’ ‘heart,’ ‘feelings,’ ‘soul,’ and ‘spirit,’ “but these translations leave much to be desired”. In the window of the transition to adulthood, this term is used for “discussions of growth and aging, of morality and aesthetics and of human nature in the considered realms of religion and philosophy”. Ki on the other hand, shapes its form according to how it is needed to be used in terms of a person as a whole. It can mean patient or impatient, short or tall, large or small. Saying that ki is different “means someone’s ki has changed fundamentally, has gone outside the fundamental range of flush”. The connection between these two is important as they are both focused on the chest area and take a wild guess: the heart. Maintaining ki and Kokoro is a very important part of being spiritually connected to yourself in Japan, as this is the only way you can be part of nature and its process of aging.

The United States and Japan base their ways of life on distinct customs and beliefs, leading individuals to mature in differing ways shaped by their respective cultures. American culture involves a transition that ensures the independence and individualism of a person, eliminating the dependency on parents. “Living independently before marriage”, getting a higher education, and having a job that is able to support a family are all signs of being an adult in today's American culture. In an article by Eric Mount, he describes the importance of individualism in American culture and how it has shaped the way life is lived. With a history of prioritizing it, individualism has influenced emerging adulthood, often resulting in a process that leads to independence. This isn’t a problem owing to the fact that every culture is different; however, the issue arises when individualism becomes a trend in other cultures, leading to an identity crisis for young adults.

A prime illustration of this phenomenon can be found in Japan since we already had a look at the complicated ideas of adulthood. Going back to the rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, Japan has experienced a cultural shift as well since it has become a more individualistic society instead of the collective one it advertises. In her article studying the deep economic recession Japan faced in the 90s, Mary Brinton shows concern about the social confusion these young adults are going through. They are raised in two worlds of different values where parents teach traditional processes of becoming an adult in a world that no longer shares those values. This confusion has caused prolonged adolescence, making the transition to adulthood a longer one. Nevertheless, Japan is not the only place going through such a social and cultural transition. In a study across 77 countries over the course of 51 years, it was found that most of the states observed are becoming more individualistic. The conductor of this result, Henri Santos, credits 35% to 58% of it to the socioeconomic change taking over the world. This form of globalism threatens not only cultural identity but also young adults. The confusion created in their environment adds an unnecessarily longer phase which can be very mentally challenging.

“To become ripe” or mature is something everyone experiences between ages 16 and 25. “Personality maturation in early adulthood can be observed in different cultures across the world.  Although genetically shaped maturation processes certainly play a role in personality development, they apparently do not tell the whole story”.  To get a better understanding of culture’s input on maturation we looked at the United States and Japan, respectively different cultural identities where one is more individualistic and one more collective. In Japan, the priorities of an upcoming adult differ from the ones in the US, as in Japan people must go through phases and hold ki and kokoro to gain the respect needed to be an important piece of sociality as an adult. On the other hand, the US values independence both socially and economically. Both cultures are crucial for the diversity they contribute to the world; nevertheless, in recent years, it's evident that Japan has undergone significant cultural transformation. This scenario doesn't solely apply to Japan but extends to other nations experiencing economic booms, primarily through the establishment of open trade laws, which create easier access between cultures. The injection of American culture throughout the world is not only dangerous for the cultures themselves but also for adolescents transitioning to adults. While in their home their parents still value traditional ideologies, the world around them has changed, creating confusion about which way to act or go. This comes with the cost of prolonged adolescence and mental health problems which makes an already difficult transition harder. Becoming an adult is scary, and it comes with challenges wherever you are, so to conclude this research paper I advise every young adult to take it easy and day by day because life is a gift and just remember that “the sun is still in the sky and shining above you”.