WASHINGTONÑCiting the central role the process plays in cognitive development, a study released Thursday by the American Psychological Association found that boys do not reach emotional maturity until avenging the murder of their father. ÒOur research indicates that a young manÕs psyche is not fully formed until he successfully tracks down, confronts, and finally slaughters the man who took his fatherÕs life,Ó said the studyÕs lead author, Dr. Christina McCauley, who noted that a maleÕs maturation process typically begins with years of replaying the murder in his mind, spending countless hours studying the one tattered old photo of the killer in his possession, and befriending a hermetic martial arts master who teaches him to control his rage and use it to his advantage. ÒIn addition, we found that the exact moment a boy enters adulthood coincides with the experience of standing above his fatherÕs killer and saying something to the effect of ÔLook at me, you coward,Õ or ÔWhat, you donÕt remember?Õ before driving a knife into the trembling individualÕs chest.Ó McCauley added that the final stage in a boyÕs mental development occurs when he backpedals from the killerÕs dead body, looks down at his own hands, and then openly weeps upon realizing he has completed his years-long quest.