MODEL OF MATURITY

Argyris Maturity Theory, presented by Chris Argyris in Personality and Organization, is one of
the many theories that seek to explain the human nature and behavior. According to this
theory, a persons’ development is processed along a continuous break of an immaturity
situation to a maturity situation. A mature person is characterised for being active,
independent, self-confident and self-controlled. On the contrary, an immature person is
passive, dependant, has lack of confidence and feels need of control by others.

Agryis believed that managers who treat people positively, and are responsible adults, will
achieve the highest productivity. He thought that common problems of employee avoiding
work, lack of interest, alienation and low morale may be signs of mismatch between
management practice and mature adult personality. His solution to the problem is to expand
job responsibilities; allow more task variety and adjust supervisory styles to allow more
participation and promote better human relations.

According to Argyris, seven changes should take place in the personality of individuals if they
are to develop into mature people over the years. The seven changes are:

1. Individuals move from a passive state as infants to a state of increasing activity as

adults
2. Individuals develop from a state of dependency upon others as infants to a state of
relative independence as adults
3. Individuals in only few ways as infants, but as adults they are capable of behaving in
many ways
4. Individuals have erratic, casual, and shallow interests as infants but develop deeper
and stringer interests as adults
5. The time perspective of children is very short, involving only the present, but as they
mature, their time perspective increases to include past and future
6. Individuals as infants are subordinate to everyone, but they move to equal or superior
positions with others as adults
7. As children, individuals lack an awareness of a “self”, but as adults not only they are
aware of, but they are able to control “self”

In Argyris opinion, these changes reside on a continuum and that the “healthy” personality
develops along the continuum from “immaturity” to “maturity”. These changes are only
general tendencies, but they do give some light on the matter of maturity.

A big limitation of this theory is that it relies on each individual’s personality, therefore given
that everyone is different there can be so many different results as when someone will reach
all the seven stages . Also another important limitation is that the theory is based on the
development of healthy child, and does not take into account those with disabilities and their
development.