What is the age most people become responsible? What does the the word responsible even mean? The definition of, responsibility according to “Dictionary.com” is “the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something”. All that means is that you are able to take accountability for your actions, good or bad, and have to deal with the consequences. Once you have the ability to own up to your actions, is when you are able to be called responsible. So that is why the age at which people become responsible should be around 18 years old. In the article “How old is old enough?” by Catherine Rampell, “18-the age when the United States, and the rest of the world, considers young people capable of accepting responsibility for their actions.” This states that everyone including the U.S. …show more content…
I see their point in that not all 18 year olds are mature, but you can be responsible without being mature. Also some might disagree because the brain’s prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed until the age 25. The prefrontal cortex helps with decision making. I can’t disagree with science, but just because your decision making skills aren't fully developed, they are developed enough to be accountable for their actions. So even though not all 18 year olds are mature or fully developed they still are able to make the right decision. All the evidence shows that most people become responsible at the age 18. Like in Alan Greenblatt’s “What is the age of responsibility?” tells us how even bad guys are treated like responsible adults at the age 18. Also in Catherine Rampell’s “How old is old enough?” states that the whole world believes 18 is generally the age people become responsible. She also says that 18 year olds were able to vote because of their responsibilities they had on the battlefield. Looking at this I believe that 18 years old is the age at which people become responsible for their
Paul Thompson in the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” claims that a teenager is not an adult and should not be treated as one. Thompson supports his claim by first explaining about the research his group has done. He then describes the results of the research by stating, “But what really caught our eye was a massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years… are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking and self-control”(Paragraph 7). This means that during the teenage years, those part of the brain are vastly immature. Lastly, the author explains that during this reshaping of the brain, it does not remove their accountability. He also states, “While research on brain-tissue loss can help understand
Beautiful Brains by David Dobbs is an article about why teenagers usually take more risks than adults. In the article Dobbs begins by discussing how his son once got in trouble for speeding down a highway just because he was curious to know what it felt like. He then goes into asking why teenagers often do "stupid" things and then explains that teens have always done that throughout time. He provides scientific evidence that the brain changes between the ages of 12 to 25 affecting our decision making. One way that a reader could interpret this data is that teenagers have a hard time using new parts of their brain and seem to be in a state of retardation. Dobb also describes the reckless acts of teenagers in order for them to adapt to any situation.
At what age should a person be able to make big decisions in life? We all start off having every choice made for us, that for the mo...
The age of responsibility is a time when adolescents become an adult and are put on with the responsibilities that they will have for the rest of your life. In the article “Age of Responsibility” by Alan Greenblatt they question what age is considered the age of responsibility? There is no set age that is considered the age of responsibility because everyone develops differently and at different times so there is no set age.
Some examples that shows that one is responsible is when they have a job, a companionship, and are financially stable. Establishing connections within the world is important so one can have things they become responsible for. Being able to accomplish something from by one’s word shows their maturity in many scenarios. In my opinion, showing the obligation to acquire something is the most relevant when determining one’s consideration of adulthood. An adult is responsible for their own choices and are aware that their decisions can affect other people around them. The ability to balance out priorities like family, friends, work or school can be difficult but hitting the age of adulthood brings reason into a person. If a person is acknowledged to be responsible in another person’s point of view, it is most likely right to consider them as an adult despite of legal “laws” or accepted
Similarly, going along with the prior rebuttal of the importance of differentiating juvenile’s characteristics and actions of that of an adult, science is compiling more evidence of its vitality. Many adults can look back and reminisce about an action he or she did when younger and say, “Wow I cannot believe I did that.” Science has proven the reason behind that is because an adolescent’s brain has not yet fully matured. Tsui states “Studies conclusively established that the brain of an adolescent is not fully developed, particularly in the area of the prefrontal cortex, which is critical to higher order cognitive functioning and impulse control” (645). The facts of scientific research need to be taken into consideration when distinguishing
On the other hand, adults aged 18 have their own rights to make a decision to whether consume alcohol or not. For example, once children turn 18 years old, they are mature enough to make their own decisions. Cloud states, “After all, in almost every other legal and cultural respect, you’re an adult at 18. You can vote, adopt children, sign up for Iraq or become a commercial pilot at 18. Treating alcohol differently helps turns it into a holy grail of adulthood.” (Cloud). Although, in the United States, 18 years o...
Under age 7, ages 7-14, and over age 14 are the three age groups for determining children’s capacity to commit a crime. Children under the age of 7 that commit a crime have no criminal capacity, children between 7-14 children are presumed to not have criminal capacity, but it can be overturned, and children over 14 have the same capacity as adults.
Teenagers still should have the chance to grow up and to experience “love” and relationships without their life being jepordized by other parents because they are unhappy about their children's relationship. In other words, they should not be considered an “adult” because they really do not understand the law or what is actually going on in life. Twenty years of age would be more of an appropriate age that people can actually be considered an adult.
The question in class was brought up that if a child, of course under the age of eighteen, were to commit a crime such as that of sexual molestation on another child, or rape should they be help accountable for their actions and be prosecuted as an adult? In many opinions, I would believe that most of the class agreed that yes, some type of punish should be enforced and the child held accountable for these sexual acts. Although I believe that many factors should be brought into the case before as a society we deem it necessary to through an accused child to the “wolves”, so to say. One factor is the age of the offender. I believe that age has a huge role in whether or not a child should be prosecuted as an adult or as a juvenile. Typically the offender is of a teenage, age, and I believe that as you enter teenage years you have a pretty good understanding of what is right and wrong. Whether or not, their parents raised them to know the difference from right and wrong, they should still be influenced by their peers and educators within the edu...
Unbelievably, the United States citizens trust their sixteen-year-old children to drive three thousand pound vehicles. We require our working young to pay taxes. We trust the decision-making abilities of eighteen year olds in public elections, with the right to smoke, and with the choice of marriage without parental consent. Our young adults are encouraged to join the army and fight for their country. We however believe that until the age of twenty-one our young adults can not handle alcohol.
Degutis, Linda. “Choose accountability: Keep the legal U.S. drinking age at 21.” The Nation’s Health, VITAL SIGNS: 3. ProQuest Discovery. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
One point that didn't seem to be fully addressed in Elmore's article was that a mature person recognizes and admits when they have made a mistake. They do so in such a way that addresses the problem effectively, but doesn't place the blame on others and isn't detrimental to him or herself. The ability to collaborate and problem solve with others without creating an overly dramatic situation is also an important quality of a mature person. There will be many different people and situations throughout life that someone may not necessarily agree with, but being able to act civilly and without prejudice is very
18 and have been living on my own since then. I am responsible in the way that I get my assignments
Why do adults label teenagers as irresponsible? Surely, these older critics were much the same at our age. For example, adults presume that all teenagers are disgraceful when they are exposed to alcohol. However, with the right guidance and support, teenagers can keep within limits and celebrate special occasions with dignity and self-discipline. This is why the legal drinking age should be lowered. Additionally, no matter what laws are in place, teenagers will always drink under age: largely due to curiosity. Stories intrigue younger teenagers to experience the sensation for themselves, through their own experiences.