such thing as not getting out of an akward stage in someone's life?

The most "awkward stage" people refer to is adolescence. One of the reasons it's so awkward is there is a huge spurt of development in the frontal lobes going on during those years until about age 21.

The problem is, the frontal lobes are the area that manages emotions. So a lot of teens go through intensely emotional periods.

Of course, eventually, this developmental period is over and the frontal lobes can do their job without being disrupted.

But during those teen years a person can establish long-lasting behavior patterns. For example, a teen can ingrain a highly emotional way of reacting to difficulty, and the pattern can persist into adulthood...indeed for the rest of life.

This is an example of an awkward stage that some people never get out of, and why.

One persons awkwardness might be another persons life. Society sets the standard on what many will base their decisions, choices, biases, etc on. So someone might view a person as being in an awkward stage, when really it's simply who they are. It does not have to be awkward, it is what it is.