EXPERIMENT 4: SOCIAL MATURITY SCALE

AIM:
To assess the social maturity of the subject using social maturity scale by Dr. Nalini Rao.

INTRODUCTION:
In general, social maturity is defined as the willingness of an individual to take responsibility for developing
his/her community. Social identification with broad social communities is an integral component of social
maturity.A social mature adult shows a few important characteristics. He is able to adapt himself successfully
to his fellowmen and to adapt is fellowmen to him. It includes such behavioural forms as group compatibility,
kindness and sympathy, fair play emotional adjustability, courtesy and politeness, dependability, self-
confidence, co-operation, leadership and cheerfulness.

Social maturity is the process of appropriate attitudes for personal, interpersonal and social adequacies of an
individual which are essential for functioning effectively in the society.
Hurlock says that a socially mature individual conforms not so much because he approves of existing
patterns of behaviour or because of fear of others but to realise that each individual must be willing to fit his
wishes into the pattern approved by the group as a whole.

Social maturity with friends and family:

o You have learned how to prioritize both friends and family.
o You don’t need them always around you to function.
o Fights are lesser in intensity and number with them.
o Develop the sense of understanding of their point of views and ideas too.
o Don’t disregard what they suggest every time.
o Increase your self-awareness and personal growth.
o Be friends with people who are different from you
o Try listening to them.

Man is basically a social animal. His existence without social set up can hardly be imagined. He is born
in a society, develops in a society works and progresses in a society. There are various factors behind
the social maturity of an individual. Parents, family members, neighbours, peer group, society, etc.
 expect him to behave in the way acceptable to the society. Adolescents are expected more by the society
in which they live. Social maturity increases as age increases for normal human beings. They learn to be
in a group, share and care for others, respect the norms and values of the society.

Social maturity in workplace.

Any workplace orientation denotes some level of professionalism and has some rules and ethics. Maturity
helps in bring stability to the workplace and also improve the work culture.

o Speaking up in meetings which represents your attentiveness and lets other people know that you are a
part of the discussion.
o Keep your work relationships at check.
o State your opinions with confidence.
o Take account in what are the workplace values.
o Dress up according to your job.
o Be clear about your goals.
o Reach on time.
o Be open for feedback and work upon them to deliver a better work.

Social maturity in stressful situation:

o Using humour to relax.
o Focus on finding a solution rather than forcing on the stressor.
o Being able to control your emotions.
o Identifying how your body feels or react.
o Learning how to cope up with stress.
o Channelizing your emotion in a more socially acceptable way.
o Taking time off from the stressful situation.

A socially mature individual should be able to make judgements, decisions and take proper action in face
of problems and critical issues. He/ she should be able to participate in cooperative activities without
conflict with others. He/she is capable of taking responsibility for his own actions, and of making and
keeping a large number of friends. He/she has a well-balanced and objective estimate of himself and can
take on himself different roles in accordance with the demand of different situations. He/she identifies
with the interests of the group and puts the group benefits before his selfish gains.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

1. Singh et al (2013) “Gender on Social and Emotional Maturity of Senior School Adolescents: A Case
Study of Pantnagar” The present research study was undertaken to assess and compare the social and
emotional maturity of 277 randomly drawn class XI students of Pantnagar, Uttarakhand across gender.
A self-designed questionnaire was used to study the socio-demographic characteristics of the
respondents. Social and Emotional maturity of the respondents were assessed employing Rao’s Social
Maturity Scale and Emotional Maturity Scale, respectively. The study revealed that girls scored
significantly higher on the social adequacy component of social maturity whereas boys were observed
score higher on the social adjustment component of emotional maturity. However, no gender differences
were observed on the composite social maturity and emotional maturity scores. Social and emotional
maturity was found to be significantly positively correlated under both genders.

2. Anand A.K., Kunwar.N and Kumar.A (2014) researched on “Impact of different Factors on Social
Maturity of Adolescents of Co-ed. School.” The sample consists of 220 students of Sixth, 10th, 11th and
12th class selected from the coeducational English medium schools of Kanpur district. Out of which 110
were boys and 110 were girls. The sample was collected by using multistage random sampling technique.
Self-designed socio-demographic questionnaire was used to study the socio-demographic characteristics
of respondents. Social maturity of the respondents was assessed by using Rao's Social Maturity scale
developed by Dr Nalini Rao. Factors affecting social maturity of adolescents of co-ed schools were
affected by family and peer group in social maturity whereas co-ed school respondents were affected by
personality. The boys and girls were affected by inferiority complex while 50.9% boys and 40.0% of
girls were affected in social maturity by neighbourhood and school. Co-ed school adolescents were given
recreation as a factor in social maturity.

3. Pant.K and Singh.R (2017) studied on “Educational status of parents as a predictor of social and
emotional maturity of adolescents.” The aim was to study the influence of educational status of parents
on the social and emotional maturity of senior school adolescents, the present study was carried out. A
total of randomly selected 277 adolescents studying in class XI made the sample of the study. To collect
the requisite data, Social Maturity Scale by Rao, Emotional Maturity Scale by Singh & Bhargava and a
self-designed questionnaire were employed. The study revealed that adolescents of better educated
parents were significantly more personally adequate than those whose parents were either illiterate or
educated up to matric only. Whereas, adolescents of only highly educated mothers were found to be
 significantly more emotionally progressive and socially adjusted. Educational status of fathers was not
found to influence the emotional development of adolescents. In totality, the study stressed upon the
importance of educated parents and their impact on children’s maturity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST:

A. About the Test : Social maturity scale is a 90 item questionnaire developed by Dr. Nalini Rao. The
questionnaire measures three dimensions of social maturity and each dimension has three components
which are given under:
1. Personal Adequacy - Work orientation, Self-direction and ability to take stress.
2. Interpersonal Adequacy- Communication, Enlightened trust and Cooperation.
3. Social Adequacy- Social commitment, Social tolerance and Openness to change

Each item is in the form of a written statement and the person taking the test has to read each statement and
choose one out of the four response alternatives provided. There is no time limit but generally 20-30 minutes
have been found to be sufficient for responding to all the items. All items c7 the test are scored. Some items
are positively scored while others are negatively scored. Separate scores are provided for each dimension
and a total social maturity score provides the overall score on the scale.

B. Application Of the Test: The social maturity scale can be used in a wide variety of situations where
assessment of social maturity may be needed such as in educational settings, treatment of psychopathology,
therapeutic interventions, research etc.

C. Reliability: Reliability of the scale was found by test-retest method and it was found to be significant.

D. Validity: The most suitable external criterion for validity of the social maturity scale was found to be
teacher ratings on attributes of social maturity. The validity coefficient thus obtained was found to be
satisfactory.

METHOD:

A. SUBJECT PRELIMINARY:

• Name: XYZ
• Age; 18
• Gender: Female
• Educational Qualifications: BBA

B. MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Social maturity questionnaire, manual, pen, pencil, stopwatch .

C. RAPPORT FORMATION: The participant was made to sit comfortably. The participant was engaged
in an informal conversation to make them feel relaxed. Once it was ensured that they are comfortable,
the test was introduced. The instructions for the test were given to the participant. The participant was
 assured that their results would be kept confidential and not shared with anyone. If the participant had
any query, it was addressed and the administration was started.

D. INSTRUCTIONS: The following instructions were given to the participant:

We face and experience several situations in our daily life. In each of these situations we have a view
of our own. Some such situations, where each one of us may have an opinion are given below in the
form of statements. Read them carefully. Each statement has a range of four responses. Each response
denotes a different position. You have to choose any one response which suggests your stand in
respect to that statement. There are no right or wrong answers, the right answer is only what you feel
about yourself. Try to give your responses according to what you feel about yourself with reference
to that statement. Your answers will be kept confidential”.

E. ADMINISTRATION: Social maturity scale can be administered on any individual over the age of 18
years. Administration generally takes from 20 to 30 minutes. However, no time limit should be given.
When subjects are working independently they should be instructed to read and follow directions printed
on the form.

F. INTROSPECTIVE REPORT: I really enjoyed being a part of this experiment which was based upon
my way of feeling and reacting to some statements. It really gave me insight to what exactly my
perceptions towards situations are how I would deal with them. In all, I had fun doing the task and was
enthusiastic during the duration of the filling of the questionnaire till the end.

G. OBSERVATIONAL REPORT: The subject was an active participant all through the experiment and
was very curious to know what his task would be. After giving the instructions to him, he was excited to
fill the questionnaire with less time. During the questionnaire filling, he got stuck on some questions but
later managed to select one option successfully. His body posture was upright and he really enjoyed
filling the booklet.

• SCORING: The raw scores are calculated dimension wise and a total score is also calculated. Once
the dimension wise raw scores and the total raw score has been obtained, the raw scores will be converted
into z scores using the tables given in the manual. All items on the test are scored. Some items are
positively scored while others are negatively scored. Separate scores are provided for each dimension
and a total social maturity score provides the overall score on the scale.
TABLE1: AREA-WISE SERIAL NUMBERS OF ITEMS
TABLE 2:

High score represents the most mature person

Maximum mature score- 360

Minimum mature score- 90
 TABLE 3: SCORING TABLE

S.no Sub-Scales Item Numbers/Scores Total

1. Work Orientation +
- 1,10,19,28,37,46,55,64,73,79, 85,88 37
2,4,4,3,2,3,4,3,2,3,3,4

2. Self-direction ﹢
4,13,22,31,40,49,58,67,76,82 33
-
4,3,4,2,4,3,4,3,2,4

3. Ability to take + 52
stress 3 27
- 7,16,25,34,43,61,70
3,3,4,4,57,4,,3,3
4. Communication + 56,74,80,86
3,3,4,4 42
- 2,11,20,29,38,47,65,89
3,2,4,3,4,4,4,4

5. cEnlightened Trust + 41,50,59,77,83

1,3,2,2,1
- 5,14,23,32,68 22
3,3,1,4,2

6. cCooperation + 17,26
3,3 21
- 8,35,44,53,62.71
2,1,4,4,2,2
7. Social + 21,39, 57,87, 90
Commitment 2,3,2,2,3 32
- 3,12,30,48,66,75,81
4,2,4,2,1,3,4
8. Social Tolerance + 24, 42, 51
4,3,4 35
- 6,15,33,60,69,78,84
3,4,4,4,3,4,2

9. Openness to + 36,54,63
Change 4,4,4 29
- 9,18,27,45,72
4,4,1,4,4
RESULT:

TABLE 4: RESULT AND INTERPRETATION

S.No Z-Score Range Grade Levels of Social Maturity

1. +2.01 and above A Very High Level Maturity

2. +1.26 to +2.00 B High Level Maturity

3. +0.51 to + 1.25 C Above Average Level Maturity

4. -0.50 to +0.50 D Average Level Maturity

5. -0.51 to -1.25 E Below Average Level Maturity
6. -1.26 to -2.00 F Low Level Maturity

7. -2.01 and below G Very Low Level Maturity

 TABLE 5: AREA-WISE SCORE AND Z-SCORE

S.NO Category Sub-scale Score Z-score Interpretation

1. Personal Adequacy Work-Orientation 37
Self-Direction 33
Ability to take 27
Stress High Level
Total 97 +1.85 Maturity

2. Interpersonal Commitment 42
Adequacy Enlightened Trust 22
Cooperation 21 Above Average
Total 85 +0.99 Maturity Level

3. Social Adequacy Social 32

Commitment
Social Tolerance 35
Openness to 29
Change High Level
Total 96 +1.78 Maturity

Total Social 97+85+96 278 +1.60 High Level

Maturity Maturity
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS:

➔ The aim of the experiment was to assess the social maturity of an individual using the Social Maturity
Scale (SMS) developed by Dr. Nalini Rao.
➔ Social maturity means knowing what to do and striving for it by following role models to reach the
coveted level of acceptable social behavior. Social maturity is a complex process. To be culturally
mature, students should be presented to those people who are socially mature so that they can pattern
their behavior, therefore. The students can try to reach the expectations of the social system, parents,
teachers, siblings, and peers who matter to them. Social maturity deals with learning to correctly relate
to acquaintances, friends, and intimate relationships. It also involves understanding as to how to honor
and respect those in authority; civil, parental, employer, or spiritual.
➔ Social Maturity is the process of developing appropriate attitudes for personal, interpersonal, and social
adequacies of an individual, which are essential for functioning effectively in the Society. Hurlock says
that a socially mature individual conforms not so much because he approves of existing patterns of
behavior or because of fear of others but to realize that each individual must be willing to fit his wishes
into the pattern approved by the group as a whole.
➔ The scale measures Social Maturity along three dimensions: Personal Adequacy (includes components
like work orientation, self-direction and ability to take stress), interpersonal adequacy (includes
components like communication, enlightened trust, and cooperation), and social adequacy (includes
components like social commitment, social tolerance and openness to change).
➔ The result of the experiment is shown in table 5 which indicates the raw score of all the 3 dimensions of
social maturity i.e, Personal adequacy (97) , Interpersonal Adequacy (85) and Social Adequacy (96)
along with their Z score and interpretation. Also, by adding all the 3 raw scores we get the Total Social
 Maturity score i.e 278. The total maturity score is also given a Z score and interpretation. The Z-score
of the subject reveals that she has High Level Maturity.
➔ On similar lines, one study was done by Dr. Surjit Singh Puar and Dr. Praveen Thukral on ‘Role of
Social Maturity in Academic Achievement of High School Students’. The present study has been
designed to investigate the relationship and contribution of social maturity in the academic achievement
of high school students along with other variables like general mental ability, emotional maturity and
anxiety and also to see the sex & regional differences on the basis of their social maturity. The results
reported that Social maturity contributed the highest in the academic achievement of high school students
in a given set of variables. No significant differences were observed between boys and girls as well as
rural and urban students on the basis of their social maturity.

In a nutshell, the subject has scored 278 as her Total Social Maturity score which indicates that she has High
Level Social Maturity which reflects her personality traits in general. She is able to make judgements,
decisions and take proper action in face of problems and critical issues. Also she is able to participate in
cooperative activities without conflict with others. She is capable of taking responsibility for her own actions,
and of making and keeping a large number of friends. She has a well-balanced and objective estimate of
himself and can take on different roles in accordance with the demands of different situations. She identifies
with the interests of the group and puts the group benefits before his selfish gains.

CONCLUSION:
The total social maturity score obtained by the participant was 278 which means that he/she has HIGH
social maturity.

REFERENCES:

1. Anand A.K., Kunwar.N and Kumar.A (2014) Impact of different Factors on Social Maturity of
Adolescents of Co-ed. School. Published in International Research Journal of Social Sciences. Volume
3, Issue 10.

2. Pant.K and Singh.R (2017) Educational status of parents as a predictor of social and emotional maturity
of adolescents. Published in Journal of Home and Community Science. Volume 7, pg.-1-6

3. Ritu Singh, Kusha Pant &Laitonjam Valentina (2013) Gender on Social and Emotional Maturity of
Senior School Adolescents: A Case Study of Pantnagar, Studies on Home and Community
Science, 7:1, 1-6,
Each item on the inventory is scored. For every true response, a score of 2 is given. For every partially true
response, a score of 1 is given and false responses are scored zero. Using this formula,the total raw score for
each area is calculated.
The area-wise raw scores are then converted into percentile rank using the tables given below. Thescores are
interpreted using the information given in the tables.

Precautions:
The room temperature and lighting of the room should be checked and maintained.
Noise should be controlled.
The YPI Questionnaire should be provided in a proper and in mannerly order.
The subject must feel comfortable and stay attentive while filling the questionnaire.

Procedure:
The subject was called to the lab and comfortable arrangements have already been made. Rapport
is formed by engaging participants in informal conversation, and the subject is given brief
information about the questionnaire.

The Youth Problem Inventory is an 80-item questionnaire that measures four areas of youth
problems and each area further measures a number of sub-areas. The four main areas measured are
Area A:

Family Problems, Area B: School/college Problems, Area C: Social Problems, and Area D:
Personal Problems and Over Sensitivity.

The inventory can be administered to any individual in the age group of 16 to 20 years.
Administration generally takes from 15 to 20 minutes. However, no time limit should be given.
When subjects are working independently, they should be instructed to read and follow
directions printed on the form.

If there’s any query regarding the administration the subject can freely ask without hesitation
before the questionnaire is handed to them.

The subject is asked to write the introspective report of his experience while the experimenter is
writing the observational report.
The practical was properly conducted and administered.
AREA A

Raw score Percentile rank Interpretation

Up to 2 1 Very few problems

3 3

4 5

5 6

7 11

9 15 Below average problems

10 19

11 23

12 25
13 26

14 27

15 33

16 38

17 43 Average problems

18 50

19 56

20 58

21 60

22 64 Above-average problems

23 66

24 71

25 73

26 74

27 76

28 78

29 79

30 82

31 85

32 87

33 90
 34 90

35 91 Cases for counseling High A

36 93

37 93

38 94

39 95

40 96

41 96

42 96

43 97 Cases for counseling High B

44 97

45 97

46 97

47 97

48 97

49 98

50 98

51 98

52 98

53 and above Above 98

Table 3: Area A scoring

AREA B

Raw score Percentile rank Interpretation

0 4 Very few problems

1 7

2 11

3 16 Below average problems

4 20

5 22

6 24

7 34

8 35

9 38

10 44 Average problems

11 51

12 55

13 60

14 66 Above-average problems

15 71

16 78
 17 81

18 84

19 87

20 91 Cases for counseling High A

21 91

22 91

23 94

24 94

25 94

26 95

27 95

28 95

29 97

30 98 Cases for counseling High B

31 98

32 98

33 and above Above 98

Table 4: Area B scoring

AREA C

Raw score Percentile rank Interpretation

Upto 1 11

2 21

3 39
 4 58

5 67

6 85

7 89

8 95

9 and above Above 98

Table 5: Area C scoring

AREA D

Raw score Percentile rank Interpretation

Upto 1 1 Very few problems

2 3

3 5

4 7

5 9

6 9

7 10

8 12 Below average

9 14

10 17

11 20

12 23

13 29
14 30

15 35

16 39

17 44 Average problem

18 48

19 52

20 58

21 60

22 65 Above average problem

23 66

24 70

25 73

26 77

27 80

28 82

29 88

30 89

31 89

32 90 Cases for counseling High A

33 90

34 91

35 92
 36 92

37 92

38 93

39 95

40 98 Cases for counseling

41 98 High B

42 98

43 98

44 98

45 98

46 and above Above 98

Table 6: Area D scoring

Result

The results obtained on the inventory for its various areas are given in the table below:

Area Percentile Rank Interpretation

Area A 60 Average
Area B 20 Below Average
Area C 39 Below Average
Area D 39 Below Average

Table 7: Result

Discussion of result:

The aim of the experiment was to identify various problems faced by youth by using youth problem
inventory. In this, there are four areas where the problems were assessed. In Area A, the participant
scored 21 which gave the percentile score of 33 meaning that average problems are faced by the
participant in the field of family. In the next area, the participant scored 4 which indicated the
 percentile score of 10 indicating the below-average level of problems in the area of
college and studies. In area c, the participant scored 3, giving the percentile of 30 which
indicates belowaverageproblems in the area of social settings and the final area had a
score of 16, giving the percentile score of 33 which means that the level of personal
problems faced by the participant is below- average.

Conclusion
The scores indicate that the problem areas of the participant are only her family area
with theproblems being of average level. All the other concerned areas are of the below-
average grade.

REFERENCES

Rajkumari.S(2019).A study on youth problems, Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research

(AJMR),VOLUME-8,31-39

Singh.S(2016).Problems of youth: A study of college students in context to their gender,

International Journal of Home Science ; 2(1): 18-21

Kishore.M & Tiwari.P(2010) Family & Social Problem of Youth: A Comparative Study of
Male & Female Adolescents.conference paper