On Adulthood

From a writing prompt on our Honors Psychology Discussion Board:

When we think of adulthood, we first think of chronological age. An 18-year-old is an adult, for civil legal purposes. They may sign contracts, marry, vote, drive without restriction, bring a suit in court, and enjoy most of their majority rights. This is not an encompassing freedom, as the state still holds some rights in abeyance, such as the right to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, hold certain licenses, and run for certain offices. However, in regards to criminal legal purposes, people under the age of 18 (usually at least 16 but as young as 13 in some states) are frequently 'tried as adults', and sentenced as though they were chronologically older. So legally speaking, an adult can chronologically range from 13 to 35.

Pavlov's Nightmare

            Advertising is pervasive in our culture. In the beginning, advertising was direct. Burma Shave billboards populated roadsides across America and athletes advised parents and children to choose Wheaties, so they could grow big and strong. These ads were successful, but not nearly as much as today’s advertisements. Since these early days, companies have spent billions of dollars to determine exactly how to convince consumers to purchase their products. Those billions of dollars have purchased extremely sophisticated methods of delivering their message to the minds of consumers, including classical and operant conditioning. Using these techniques, companies can easily train consumers to choose or continue to choose their products, and to sway them from their competitor’s products. These companies use both classical and operant conditioning techniques to train us to purchase their products.