ABSTRACT
“OH, GROW UP!” Such is the common cry of those frustrated with partners’ immaturities. Beyond the immediate complaint lies an increasingly acceptable assumption that growth is something we can decide to do. However, this wasn’t always the case The awareness we claim for our own capabilities and responsibilities has been shifting for some time. Although that shift manifests in different ways dependent on culture, mobility, educational background, and perhaps even by temperament, it manifests nonetheless. That our bookstores devote entire sections to “self-help” tomes is symptomatic of such increased self-awareness and longing for growth and development or, in other circles, for fulfillment or self-actualization.
