What makes adults act childishly?

Immaturity.

Self-absorption.

A sense of entitlement.

Because everyone grows up too fast, and being a kid is more fun.

Beer!

My hypothesis is that their parents never properly learned to control them when they were children.

It probably worked well for them when they were younger and they haven’t learned any different.

Either they are still getting something they need from the behavior or they’re ignoring the lessons the universe is sending them about changing their ways.

Haven’t you let learned that there is no such thing as a grownup? Listen to the Watergate tapes. It’s very illuminating to listen to the Leader of the Free World whine about the machinations of his perceived “enemies”.

@pdworkin Is it another one of those social constructs like race, gender and religion?

Those who are used to having life handed to them on a silver platter generally are the ones to do stuff like this.

I suspect that most people just pretend to be adults. I know I do.

@Marina – you are so right.

@Sarcasm I hope I don’t argue from the standpoint of ideology, but rather that I simply report my experiences.

@Marina Nailed it! People like that wake up thinking: ‘What can the world do for me today?’. What’s worse is that this is the age of individualism, which only seems to make it worse.

Being used to getting their way and having people cater to them or give in to them. When it doesn’t happen, they turn right back into a child.

I actually saw my father-in-law pout on vacation once because my mother-in-law got him the wrong flavor at the ice cream parlor. He sat with his arms crossed, wouldn’t eat it and wouldn’t talk to anyone.

GA @Supacase I find situations like that ridiculous!

Because their parents aren’t around them all the time any longer to make sure they behave.

@gggritso That’s more in the vein of being childlike.

What they need is a good spanking to straighten them out!

I think there are some Flutherites who would be more than happy to volunteer for the job.

@Supacase thanks for the laugh, people like that are just so pathetic.

It’s only called ‘childish’ because most children get excused for it, because of lack of experience. When an adult does it, they won’t get excused, because we expect them to have found a better way to handle their frustrations. Many people simply never learn.

It could be because they don’t want to learn, or it could be because the people around them reward that kind of behavior. There are probably as many reasons as there are different people.

Some people can’t control their inner child.
Some never learned to grow up.

Do not get childishly and child like mixed up.

Children don’t react childishly, they react naturally. They are taught to not display that behaviour – to act “grown-up”. Adults who do that are simply losing a degree of control and reverting to acting naturally.

9 times out of 10 they are usually spoiled. Use to havin their way. Also a way to make someone else baby them.

Bad parenting when they were young.

politics