UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOSOCIAL MATURITY THROUGH DERMATOGLYPHICS: A QUANTITATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Transitioning from adolescence into adulthood, the youth have to face numerous challenges and navigate through adolescence and into their early 20s in order to do so they have to develop sufficient psychosocial maturity (PM) ^[5]. However, due to inadequate development during adolescence and early adulthood, the emotional and social aspects of maturity are not well understood ^[15].This study examines the correlation between a model of psychosocial maturity (PM) ^[6] and dermatoglyphic patterns. Thus, this study offers a new perspective on the dual role of genetic and environmental factors in the development of maturity ^[22]. The data was collected from university students, in the age group 18-25 over a three-month period. The factors considered for determining psychosocial maturity include, self-esteem, openness to change, independence, and social tolerance. Dermatoglyphic patterns of the subjects were examined to assess the correlation with these psychosocial traits.The study revealed a considerable correlation between PM and dermatoglyphic patterns. This predicted that the maturity of an individual may be based on genetic predisposition, yet, environmental factors play a much larger role in shaping it. These findings further contribute to the understanding of environmental and genetic factors in social and emotional development.