What is adaptation - its types, purpose and areas of application (biology, psychology, personnel adaptation)

Adaptation is the adaptation of the body to the circumstances and conditions of the world. Adaptation of a person is carried out through his genetic, physiological, behavioral and personal characteristics. With adaptation, human behavior is regulated according to the parameters of the external environment.

The peculiarities of human adaptation lie in the fact that he must achieve simultaneous balance with environmental conditions, achieve harmony in the “man-environment” relationship, and adapt to other individuals who are also trying to adapt to the environment and its inhabitants.

Adaptation concept. There are two approaches to analyzing the phenomenon of adaptation. According to the first approach, adaptation is a property of a living self-regulating organism, which ensures the constancy of characteristics under the influence of environmental conditions, which is achieved by developed adaptive abilities.

According to the second approach, adaptation is a dynamic formation, the process of an individual getting used to environmental circumstances.

Since man is a biosocial system, the problem of adaptation should be analyzed according to three levels: physiological, psychological and social. All three levels have a connection with each other, influence each other, and establish an integral characteristic of the overall functioning of the body’s systems. Such an integral characteristic manifests itself as a dynamic formation and is defined as the functional state of the organism. Without the term “functional state” it is impossible to talk about the phenomenon of adaptation.

Adaptability in situations in which there are no barriers to success is achieved through constructive mechanisms. These mechanisms include cognitive processes, goal setting, and conformist behavior. When the situation is problematic and saturated with external and internal barriers, the adaptation process occurs through the defense mechanisms of the individual. Thanks to constructive mechanisms, a person can show an adequate response to changes in social life circumstances, taking advantage of the opportunity to assess the situation, analyze, synthesize and predict possible events.

The following mechanisms of human adaptation are distinguished: social intelligence - the ability to discern complex relationships, dependencies between objects of the social environment; social imagination - the ability to understand experience, mentally determine fate, realizing oneself now, one’s resources and capabilities, placing oneself within the framework of the current stage of society; realistic aspiration of consciousness.

Personality adaptation consists of a system of defense mechanisms, thanks to which anxiety is reduced, the unity of the “I-concept” and the stability of self-esteem are ensured, and the correspondence between ideas about the world and about the person himself in particular is maintained.

The following psychological defense mechanisms are distinguished: denial - ignoring unwanted information or traumatic episodes; regression – a person’s manifestation of infantile behavior strategies; formation of a reaction - changing irrational impulses, emotional states to the opposite; repression – “erasing” painful memories from memory and consciousness; suppression is almost the same repression, but more conscious.

The above-described basic protective mechanisms during personality adaptation are still additional, they are considered more mature: projection - attributing to someone qualities and actions that are inherent in the personality itself, but she is not aware of them; identification - identifying oneself with some real or imagined character, attributing to oneself his qualities; rationalization - the desire to explain an action, interpreting events in such a way as to reduce its traumatic impact on the individual; sublimation – transformation of instinctive energy into socially acceptable forms of behavior and activity; humor is the desire to reduce psychological stress by using humorous expressions or stories.

In psychology, there is the concept of an adaptation barrier; it means a kind of boundary in the parameters of the external environment, beyond which personal adaptation will no longer be adequate. The properties of the adaptation barrier are expressed individually. They are influenced by biological environmental factors, constitutional personality type, social factors, individual psychological factors of a person that determine the adaptive capabilities of the individual. Such personal properties are self-esteem, value system, volitional sphere and others.

The success of adaptation is determined by the full functioning of the physiological and mental level of the individual. These systems are located and function in interconnection. There is a component that ensures this relationship between the two levels and carries out the normal functioning of the individual. Such a component may have a dual structure: a mental and physiological element. This component in the regulation of human adaptation is emotions.

Biological and psychological adaptation

Biological adaptation is a phenomenon that unites humans and non-intelligent life. The term usually refers to the ability to adapt to changing external conditions. They take into account climate, internal changes in the body, light levels and environmental pressure indicators, humidity levels, and forced limitations in the implementation of certain functions. Internal changes to which one has to adapt are also various diseases.

Adaptation

Psychological adaptation is the process of adjusting an individual to social requirements, the needs of oneself, and an individual set of interests. Social adaptation involves the assimilation of norms and values ​​that are relevant to the community in which a person finds himself. This applies not only to a large community, but also to small social formations, for example a family.

Definition of a term in psychology

The concept of adaptation was introduced by G. Selye. They also identified 3 stages of development of this process: anxiety, resistance and exhaustion. A. Maslow had a different view on this same term. In his opinion, psychological adaptation is the interaction of the individual and environmental conditions, contributing to the acquisition of spiritual health and development. If there is a divergence in moral values, then a personality conflict arises, which the individual tries to resolve as quickly as possible.

Photo: restaurant-lacledeschamps.fr

R. Lasarusa gave the following definition of adaptation: this is a process in which, while learning about the world, a person receives certain information that may not correspond to his moral principles and attitudes. As a result of this, internal conflict occurs. The speed with which an individual can solve it is an indicator of his adaptability.

Adaptation is one of the basic concepts in psychology. Psychoanalysis evaluates this ability as the work and interaction of the defense mechanisms available to a particular individual. They function in such a way that the conflict is resolved with minimal damage to the psyche.

A special place is occupied by sensory adaptation, located on the border between psychology and physiology. This is a condition that is associated with the work of analyzers in response to stimuli - permanent or temporary.

Social adaptation

Social adaptation is a phenomenon that can be observed by tracking the evolution of interactions between a person and the individuals around him. To assess the ability to adapt, it is necessary to observe the active activity of the individual. The social aspect of the phenomenon under consideration presupposes the ability to study, work, create relationships with other people and adjust behavior, taking into account the expectations and requirements of other participants in society.

Any organism during its existence adapts to external conditions. This process is continuous and occurs from the moment of the beginning of existence until biological death. One aspect of the onboarding program is training. Within it there are three subtypes: reactive, operant, cognitive.

Reactive, operant, cognitive

Features of reactive type adaptation are explained by the body’s ability to respond to external factors. During the interaction, gradual habituation occurs.

Operant adaptation is much more complex than the reactive method described above. It is realizable when an individual has the opportunity to interact and experiment, during which a response from the surrounding space is observed. This makes it possible to identify cause-and-effect relationships. The widespread trial and error method is a classic example of this type of adaptation. This also includes observations and the formation of responses.

Human adaptation through cognitive learning involves identifying a cause-and-effect relationship between situations with a subsequent assessment of what is happening. To do this, you need to be able to analyze previously gained experience, as well as learn to anticipate the possible consequences of actions. Cognitive learning includes latency, insight, reasoning and the formation of psychomotor skills.

Main types

Archetype - what is it in psychology and philosophy

The term "adaptation" refers to different processes that can affect both the physiological and psychological levels. This division allows us to better understand the characteristics of each type of adaptability; this is important for understanding the development of society.

Biological

Its clearest manifestation is evolution. It means that species that were unable to adapt to their environment became extinct. Animals with different traits appear in a population. In the course of natural selection, the strongest survive and begin to reproduce.

Despite their size, dinosaurs were unable to adapt to environmental changes, so they all went extinct

In order to understand that it is not necessary to know the definition of adaptation, it is important to understand the features of the process. During adaptation, species developed survival mechanisms, such as protective coloration.

Social

It is more difficult to find out what a person’s adaptation is, since he exhibits not only biological characteristics. In life he has to adapt to the demands of society. He gets used to going to school, working, following certain rituals.

Important ! When expelled from a social group, the individual experiences negative emotions.

During the interaction, a person understands how he treats the organization’s personnel or what to do in different situations. The higher his adaptability, the easier it is for him to achieve success in all areas. It is difficult to understand what exactly adaptation means. For each individual this process takes place individually.

Ethnic

The adaptation of national groups also proceeds differently. The main difficulty is that the process is hampered by racial conflicts.

In everyday life, an individual ethnic group may be given offensive nicknames, be oppressed socially, and not allowed to work or study. Despite the modern development of the world, this problem has not yet been fully resolved.

The ethical issue is the line of acceptable influence. If an ethnic group moves to live in the territory of another country, is it obliged to abandon its traditions and completely adopt those of others? In such a situation, it is impossible to unambiguously determine whether adaptation will be a benefit; what it is is considered separately in each specific case.

Psychological

This is an important variety that determines the social life of an individual. It includes adjustment to certain requirements of society. For example, in Russia it is customary to respectfully call a person “You”; anyone who does not follow this rule is considered a violator.

Adaptation is a definition from social psychology. The term refers to the ability of an individual to understand the requirements of other people and change according to them.

The ability to switch to social roles also relates to adaptability

An organization may have its own rules of conduct. If a beginner can adopt them quickly, then he has a high level of adaptation. In modern pedagogy, this term is also of great importance - for students, getting used to the educational process takes place under stress.

Features of human adaptability, from the point of view of social sciences, are considered within the framework of social science. This information is of great importance for understanding the features of social development.

Knowledge about adaptability will be useful in the professional field. It can be difficult for a newcomer to join the team, but some get used to it quickly, others slowly. It is important for a manager to understand how to properly manage a team in order to reduce stress levels.

Training: what is it like?

A classic example of adaptation is learning through trial and error. It is common in both human society and animals. The object, when encountering an obstacle for the first time, tries to cope with it. Ineffective actions are discarded, and sooner or later the optimal solution is identified.

Forming a reaction is to some extent training. This adaptation involves a reward for an adequate response. The reward can be physical or emotional. Some psychologists are firmly convinced that children's adaptation is most effective in this way. As soon as the baby learns to pronounce sounds, those around him are delighted with his babble. This is especially pronounced in the mother, who thinks that the child is calling her.

Observation is another way of learning. Social human activity is largely organized in this way - the individual observes how those around them behave. By imitating them, a person learns. The peculiarity is that understanding the meaning of actions and their sequences is not assumed.

Controversy

This word perfectly characterizes the adaptation process. Why? Because on the one hand, a person must “merge” into society. But on the other hand, to separate yourself from it in order to remain yourself.

It is very difficult to maintain balance, since in our time, in the conditions of all-encompassing changes, it is disrupted. Due to fundamental changes in almost all spheres of life, the functions of socialization institutions have also become different.

Modern people often simply cannot keep up with such a rapid pace of events. Many cannot even understand what to focus on - life values ​​​​change, and life goes on at such a rhythm that some are unable to stop and reflect on what they really exist for.

Vicarious and latent adaptation

Vicarious adaptation presupposes the assimilation of a certain model of behavior, an understanding of its relevance and the consequences of the actions taken. Typically, such adaptation is observed after becoming familiar with the behavior patterns of famous and famous, successful individuals. Some imitate movie characters or their friends.

Latent adaptation is based on receiving signals from the surrounding space. Some of them are conscious, others are not clearly perceived, and others are not perceived by consciousness at all. The brain forms a cognitive map of the world in which the individual is forced to survive, and determines what response to the situation in the new environment will be optimal. This development of adaptation was confirmed by conducting excrement experiments with rats that were able to detect their way to food through a maze. In particular, scientists first taught the road, then filled the labyrinth with water. The animal still got to food, although it was forced to use other motor reactions to do this.

Insight and reasoning

One of the learning methods within adaptation is insight. The term usually refers to a situation where an individual receives data at different points in time, which is then formed into a single picture. The resulting card is used when it is necessary to survive under conditions of adaptation, that is, in a situation completely new to the individual. Insight is, to some extent, a creative process. The solution, as a rule, appears unpredictably, spontaneously, and is original.

Reasoning is another relevant method of adaptation. They resort to it when there is no ready-made solution; trials with the possibility of making mistakes seem to be an ineffective option. The result that the reasoning individual receives is used in the future to get out of various situations.

Violations

Volitional personality traits - what is it in psychology, their formation

Under unfavorable circumstances, disadaptation occurs. It can happen for various reasons. In a deviant form of behavior, a person chooses ways to achieve a goal that are not approved by the social group.

The non-conformist type manifests itself in a refusal to follow accepted guidelines, while the innovative type is aimed at finding new solutions. Both options can appear at different ages.

Thanks to deviant behavior, humanity was able to actively develop

Pathological maladaptation can be interpreted as a serious mental disorder. It develops against the background of organic lesions and deviations in physical health. You should not expect adequate actions from such a person.

It is necessary to distinguish between deviant and pathological forms of behavior, since these are different processes. They, interconnected, influence the individual. Mild maladaptation appears at a time of conflict between internal values ​​and environmental conditions.

A person either overcomes the problem or gets depression, apathy, and neuroses. Psychologically, confrontation brings serious discomfort, but after resolving the conflict, the individual receives qualitative transformations in the psyche.

Not every person can determine the type, the ability to adapt, what it is briefly. The term refers to important mechanisms that ensure the normal existence of society in the world.

We work in a team: features

For any company manager, an extremely important aspect of internal policy is personnel adaptation. With an irresponsible attitude towards this issue, staff turnover becomes high, and the active development of the company is almost impossible. The manager may not always deal with new employees - this approach is applicable only in small-scale businesses. Instead, it is necessary to develop standard optimal procedures to help a new person integrate into the work process of the enterprise.

Adaptation represents an individual’s acquaintance with the internal organization and corporate culture. The new employee must adapt to the voiced requirements and integrate into the team.

Personnel adaptation is the adaptation of new people to the conditions of the work process and the content of work, to the social environment in the workplace. To make the process easier, you need to think about how to make the process of getting to know your colleagues and responsibilities easier. Adaptation involves conveying the stereotypes of behavior accepted in the team. The responsibility of the new employee is to assimilate, adapt to the environment and begin to identify common goals and personal interests.

Three approaches to adaptation

“Optical” - “you work, and we’ll look at you”

This approach cannot be called successful. Employers who choose it prefer to discuss the employee's salary and responsibilities after looking at him in action. There is practically no training; a beginner gets to work right away. If he doesn't fit, they hire someone else. For a new employee, this can result in frustration and a feeling of uselessness.

“Army” - “hard in training, easy in battle”

The probationary period becomes a real test of survival - the newcomer is given complex and responsible tasks, but is not explained how to complete them. Under these conditions, only the most purposeful remain. The employee who was not suitable is parted with and a new one is hired. This method has negative consequences: after joining the staff, the new employee relaxes or begins to “revenge”. Newcomers in such organizations are treated with hostility or tried not to notice - it is unknown how long they will last. Thus, an attempt to hire the best personnel results in the long term in a bad attitude towards work and conflicts in the team.

“Affiliate” – “we will help”

This approach is the result of an effective personnel policy. The employer realizes that there are no ideal candidates, does not delay the search, but chooses the most suitable person for the position. Entry into work is as smooth as possible - the employee is trained, introduced to the organization, and assigned a mentor so that he can ask him his questions.

Vladimir Trofimenko , General Director of the Mankiewicz representative office in Russia and the CIS countries, Member of the Strategic Council for Investments in New Industries under the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade:

“Our project management system was implemented in a natural, organic way and was based on the desire to achieve the company’s goals. We do not have a department that could deal with personnel adaptation. Instead, a “start-up” system has been introduced. They are formed based on the psychophysiological characteristics of each participant and are based on continuous training of team leaders who monitor balance, clear planning and hierarchy within the team. With this approach, the effectiveness of an entire department is always greater than the sum of the abilities of its constituent employees. Each startup is recruited for a specific project, and its duration depends on the deadline for completing the task. As soon as one startup closes, a new one is immediately formed, with a different composition of employees. Thus, the new employee does not go through a long adaptation process, but immediately gets to work and gets to know his startup colleagues. When the task changes, the newcomer begins to delve into the specifics of the work of another startup and works with other colleagues. It is quite difficult to accept a structure where there are no instructions for staff, a percentage of sales and penalties. But the results speak for themselves: at Mankiewicz, our average employee tenure is 12 years, and there is no staff turnover that plagues Russian companies. Many stay with us after coming for an internship for the first time as students. This means that the system confirms its effectiveness.”

Theory…

The conditions of adaptation, the rules of this process and the features regulating its course have more than once become the object of study by prominent minds of our world. Abroad, Eysenck's definition is currently most widely used, as well as expanded versions formed by his followers. This approach involves treating adaptation as a state of satisfying the needs of an object and the environment, as well as the process during which such harmony is achieved. Thus, adaptation presupposes a harmonious balance between nature and man, the individual and the environment.

There is an opinion that psychological adaptation in the workplace involves changing the process of familiarizing a new employee with his obligations and with the company as a whole. The process must be subject to environmental requirements.

Personnel adaptation, if we follow from the conclusions in Egorshin’s works, is the adaptation of the team to environmental conditions outside and inside the enterprise. Employee adaptation, accordingly, is the result of the process of adapting a person to colleagues and the workplace.

Characteristics and properties

According to the American psychologist Richard Lazarus, socio-psychological adaptation is influenced by information received by an individual when interacting with the social environment and that contradicts the original life attitudes.

As a result, there is an inconsistency between the internal message and the real conditions of existence. This causes a state of psychological discomfort, which prompts action.

The hypothesis was confirmed experimentally when Richard Lazarus and a group of researchers studied the cognitive assessment of threat on the formation of stress reactions.

The conditional intensity of emotional experiences indicates the degree of adaptation of the individual to socio-psychological conditions. Freud, Adler and Hartmann considered the problem in the context of the development of defense mechanisms.

Social structures, division of labor, social inequality and other factors, according to the masters of psychoanalysis, have a strong influence on the success of personality adaptation. Their properties and characteristics determine the development possibilities of the individual.

The structure of society, upbringing and training shape behavioral reactions and ensure successful adaptation. An important condition for harmonious integration is social compliance. It determines the norms of individual behavior.

The speed and depth of adaptation depends not only on mental characteristics, emotional stability and internal reserves. External influences have a great influence on the process of adaptation.

At the material level, material factors are distinguished, and in the social environment - social development, ethnic issues, and living conditions. Each individual enters the adaptation process in a different moral and physiological state.

Some people adapt easier and faster, others more difficult and slower. According to many researchers, adaptability is strongly influenced by environmental factors and subjective influence.

The first include:

1. Nature of work activity. Professional mental deformation slows down the adaptation process and makes adjustments to it.
2. Living conditions. They are of fundamental importance, since the environment largely shapes the inner world and views of the individual.
3. Social layer. This is a complex characteristic of the adaptation process that influences behavioral reactions and ideological position.

The subjective properties of the adaptation process usually include gender, age, psycho-emotional and physiological characteristics of the individual.
Researchers do not have a consensus on which group of factors has a greater influence on an individual’s ability to adapt to changed conditions.

According to one theory, adaptation is influenced by a set of the following criteria:

• cognitive;
• emotional;
• motivational;
• practical.

In the process of life under the proposed conditions, a new behavioral model is formed, which accelerates adaptation.

...And practice

It so happens that in our country adaptation is often equated to a probationary period, but in fact these concepts are different. Adaptation for an employee lasts 1-6 months. The probationary period is a quarter of a year. An adaptation period is necessary for any person, but a test for employment is not always necessary.

During the test, special attention is paid to the professionalism of the employee and his ability to fulfill obligations. Adaptation consists of two components: professionalization and inclusion in the microsociety.

Although adaptation and probation are not identical concepts, they cannot be called incompatible either. If, during employment, the contract stipulates the need for a probationary period, testing and adaptation overlap each other.

Coming to a new workplace, a person tries to enter into internal relationships characteristic of the company. At the same time, he has to take different positions, which have characteristic rules of behavior. A new employee is a colleague, a subordinate, for some, perhaps a leader, as well as a participant in a public formation. It is necessary to be able to behave as required by a specific position. At the same time, the new employee must follow his own goals and take into account the admissibility of this or that behavior from the point of view of personal priorities. We can talk about the relationship between adaptation, working conditions, and motivation.

Bottom line

A person is always forced to adapt at different levels of his life. First, a person adapts physiologically, getting used to control of his body, then to the surrounding nature. Social adaptation begins at the moment when parents begin raising a child. At the same time, psychological adaptation occurs when a person develops character traits that will help him feel harmonious in existing conditions.

Adaptation does not always imply exclusively effective and successful, acceptable behavior. You can adapt by developing an illness or bad behavior, which also helps you achieve your goals more quickly under existing conditions.

Nuances of the question

Adaptation is more successful the more the values ​​and norms that are relevant for the individual and the team correspond to each other. This allows the individual to quickly accept and better understand and assimilate the features of a new environment for him.

As scientists say, in order to start working to the best of your abilities and capabilities, you need to spend at least 8 weeks getting used to new conditions. For mid-level workers, 20 weeks are required, and for management, 26 weeks or more. When choosing the length of the adaptation period within an enterprise, you should be aware that a quarter of a year is a fairly long period of time. If during this period there is no return from the person hired, it is unlikely that he is suitable for the enterprise.

At the same time, we must remember that a quarter of the year is a period that for many is not enough to successfully socialize. This lies in the difficulty of assimilating the values ​​and rules of behavior adopted at the enterprise. Consequently, it is difficult for a person to become a full-fledged member of the team. The main task of the leader is to distinguish between adaptation and testing and to realize that the process of adaptation cannot occur instantly. It consists of successive stages and stretches over a long time.

By the way, the relevance of adaptation in the workplace is well proven by statistical data. As researchers have found, up to 80% of workers who quit in the first half of the year after employment make this decision within the first 14 days from taking office.

Forms of manifestations

The main, longest and most complex adaptation is considered to be adaptability to a new social environment and changed social conditions. This is an active form of personality development, within which the mutual influence of a person and the environment is felt.

An important manifestation of such adaptation is the nature of the interaction, which includes communicative nuances, between the individual and the people around him. Successful adaptation to changed conditions means the individual’s ability to function in a new social environment.

The adaptation mechanism at the psychological level can take on various forms and manifestations. This is determined by the personal emotional and physiological characteristics of a person. Adaptation is manifested by changes in attitudes and behavioral reactions to situational stimuli.

Children: special age, special attitude

Childhood adaptation is a particularly sensitive issue. As a rule, problems first arise when the child needs to be sent to a nursery or kindergarten. Over time, the time comes to get the child ready for school, and parents and children again face adaptation problems. The first days are the hardest. To facilitate this stage, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the baby’s age. Psychologists who specialize in the problems of children’s adaptation to educational institutions come to the aid of parents.

A special feature of adaptation in kindergarten is the abundance of negative emotions at first. Babies tend to be capricious and cry, whine. For some, the negative state is expressed in fear - the child is afraid of the unknown, new people, especially adults. Stress can trigger anger. It is possible to show aggression towards anyone and anything. During the adaptation period, some children exhibit depression, lethargy, and lethargy.

To somewhat smooth out the transition, positive emotions should be provided, and they should be associated for the child with the new place. An abundant option is a selection of incentives, games, and rewards that the baby receives for adequate behavior. Over time, negative emotions will completely give way to positive ones. Parents should be prepared for the fact that the child will have trouble sleeping for the first time after starting to attend a child care facility, even if such difficulties have not previously been observed. Restless sleep, waking up in tears or screaming is a problem that ends on its own by the time the adaptation stage is completed.

Report on the topic: “The concept of “adaptation”, its essence, main stages and factors”

The concept of “adaptation”, its essence, main stages and factors

Adaptation (from the Latin adaptatio - adaptation) refers to phenomena, adaptations comparable in duration to the life of an individual, and shifts in the organisms of populations over several generations. The concept of adaptation is fundamental in concepts that consider the relationship of an individual with his environment as processes of homeostatic balancing. This term was first introduced into scientific circulation by G. Aubert and was used in medical and psychological literature, where it denoted a change in the sensitivity of analyzers under the influence of the adaptation of the senses to the action of stimuli.

As an analysis of the literature has shown, there are quite a lot of approaches to defining the concept of “adaptation”. As an example, let's look at some of them.

Z.K. Trushinsky believes that “Adaptation is the interaction of the body and the environment, aimed at maintaining homeostasis, ensuring the biological and social activity of the body, continuing and improving the species” [13. 1].

V.Ya. Semke believes that “Adaptation is the actions of an individual in such a range of the social environment that does not reveal a pathological radical of the individual and the demands of which are feasible even in the presence of abnormal components of character”[27.22].

In the Russian Pedagogical Encyclopedia, the concept of adaptation is considered as “the ability of the body to adapt to various environmental conditions” [vol. 1., p. 20]. There are other approaches to defining the concept of “adaptation”.

In the literature, along with the term “adaptation”, its derivative terms such as adaptation, dis(dis)adaptation are also used. readaptation, etc.

Adaptation is the completeness of the adaptation process, a certain specific state characterized by good adaptation of the organism to the environment; a state when the child’s adaptation process is completely completed, and as a result of restructuring the functions of the body’s leading systems, the level of functioning that is most typical for the child is restored and provides him with optimal existence in a new microsocial environment [24, p. 114].

Adaptability is the ability of an organism (biosystem) to adapt to the environment.

Adaptogenic factors are factors that cause adaptation; factors to which the body must adapt.

Adapt - make an adaptation. Here adaptation is understood as an active process performed by the subject of adaptation himself.

Disadaptation (from Latin de/des - meaning cessation, elimination, denial) - loss, disappearance (usually temporary and, in principle, renewable) of an existing adaptation.

Readaptation is the restoration of adaptation lost in the past.

“Phenotypic adaptation can be defined as a process developing during the course of individual life, as a result of which the organism acquires previously absent resistance to a certain environmental factor, as a complex adaptive response of the whole organism or its systems to the combined effects of environmental and/or social conditions of its life and the nature of its activity or adaptation to significant physical and psycho-emotional stress"[15, p. 178].

Existing adaptation models distinguish two stages: the initial - urgent adaptation and the subsequent - long-term. However, most researchers adhere to the division of adaptation into three phases:

• phase of urgent or primary adaptation;

• phase of sustainable adaptation;

• phase of maladaptation - disturbances, depletion of adaptation or phase of adaptation fatigue.”

The dynamics of phenotypic adaptation are most fully represented by four stages identified by F.Z. Meyerson.

The first stage is characterized by the mobilization of pre-existing adaptation mechanisms - hyperfunction or the beginning of the formation of a functional system responsible for adaptation. This stage is based on a triad of changes:

• hyperfunction of the system specifically responsible for adaptation to this factor;

• stress syndrome;

•disturbance of certain functions caused by shifts in homeostasis.

With congenital or acquired inferiority of any link in the systems involved in the reaction to a new environmental factor, urgent adaptation may be so imperfect that the body becomes ill or avoids solving problems dictated by the environment.

The second stage is the transition from urgent adaptation to long-term adaptation. It is characterized by activation of the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in the cells of the system specifically responsible for adaptation - an increase in the power of this dominant system and a gradual decrease in stress syndrome. Subsequently, in most cases, stable adaptation develops. The transition stage can be prolonged in situations where the acting factor is excessively strong or when the situation arising in the environment is too complex, and therefore the required adaptive reaction is not feasible. In such situations, an effective functional system is not implemented, a systemic structural trace is not formed in it. As a result, the initial disturbances of homeostasis persist, and the stress syndrome stimulated by them reaches extreme intensity and duration.

The third stage is when long-term adaptation is formed. It is characterized by the presence of a systemic structural trace, the absence of stress syndrome and perfect adaptation to a specific factor or situation. With an excessively long or directed adaptation of this kind, the dominance of a certain system in accordance with the basic principle of dominance can lead to one-sided development of the organism.

The fourth stage - wear and tear and functional failure - is not obligatory, it develops only with excessive adaptation stress and is characterized by the fact that a large load on the system that dominates the adaptation process leads to excessive hypertrophy of its cells and, as a consequence, to disruption of structure and function [ 27, p. 178].

Among the different types of phenotypic adaptation - biological, physiological, biochemical, mental, social, sexual, visual - the most significant in the context we are considering are social and mental adaptations.

Social adaptation is the process of including an individual in a new social situation, the constant process of an individual’s active adaptation to the conditions of the social environment, as well as the result of this process. The ratio of these components, which determines the nature of behavior, depends on the goals and value orientations of the individual and on the possibilities of achieving them in the social environment. An important aspect of social adaptation is the individual’s acceptance of a social role. The effectiveness of adaptation significantly depends on how adequately the individual perceives himself and his social connections.

According to the reference book on psychology and psychiatry of childhood and adolescence, mental adaptation includes its own biological, psychological and social aspects. The psychological component of adaptation is determined by the activity of the individual and acts as a unity of the processes of assimilation of the rules of the environment (“adjustment of oneself”) and transformation, change of the environment (“adaptation to oneself”) [5, p. 10-11]. The psychological component of adaptation is directed by the social component, which determines the goals of activity and social norms - acceptable ways to achieve goals and sanctions for deviating from these norms. The most important condition for successful adaptation is the optimal balance between both sides of an individual’s active activity (transformation of oneself and transformation of the environment).

According to a number of scientists: Aleksandrovsky Yu.A., Berezin A.F., Wasserman L.I. etc. the mental level of adaptation is the highest, superstructural level, characteristic of a person and increasing the range of his adaptive capabilities. The social (socio-psychological) level of adaptation, although it is an independent link in the adaptive process, is presented as one of the components of mental adaptation, acting rather as a regulator of the stress-tension relationship, determining the reliability of psychophysiological functions and increasing the body’s resistance to emotional stress. Psychophysiological adaptation, as the third aspect of mental adaptation, reflects adaptation not only at the level of the mental sphere, but also at the level of physiological functions, psychovegetative, psychohumoral and psychomotor relationships.

Human mental adaptation is ensured by the activity of an integral self-governing system of individual components (subsystems) that provide search, perception and processing of information; emotional response, which determines the “personal” attitude towards the information received; socio-psychological contacts; wakefulness and sleep; endocrine-humoral regulation. The activity of this system is ensured by their interaction, which generates new integrative qualities that are not inherent in the individual constituent subsystems.

A generally accepted criterion for adaptation is the process of preservation and development of the biological properties of a species, population, biocenoses, ensuring the progressive evolution of biological systems in adequate environmental conditions. In addition, objective and subjective adaptation criteria are distinguished. The objective ones include the productivity of activity, the real position of a person in the team, his social status; the subjective ones include the satisfaction of the individual, his attitude to various aspects of activity and communication.

In modern psychological and pedagogical science there is no common understanding of the phenomenon of adaptation and its criteria, adaptation disorders and risk factors. Most authors studying the adaptation of children and adolescents are of the opinion that, in general, the adaptation process is largely determined by adaptation to society, as evidenced by the leading importance of the individual’s personal properties, through which indicators of autonomic regulation influence the mechanisms of psychophysiological functions,

All authors agree with the opinion that full adaptation should be considered not as a static state, but as a dynamic process ensured by the constant activation and regulation of various mechanisms of the body's functional systems. There is no consensus among researchers regarding the criteria for successful adaptation. At the same time, the search for informative and objective physiological criteria of adaptation is extremely important; assessment of the course of adaptation is of great importance, because allows you to timely diagnose maladjustment, find out the causes of the breakdown and carry out appropriate corrective measures.

Bityanova M.N. considers a child's adaptation as an ability to develop. An adapted person, in her opinion, is a subject of life and his own further development; he is able to use the social situation given to him to solve the problems of today and form the prerequisites for moving forward. A child’s ability to develop can be regarded as a criterion for his adaptation [2, p.6].

There is no consensus among researchers regarding the conditions for the course of adaptation. So, Trombach S.M. identifies three conditions for adaptive reactions:

1. External influences are unusual, new for the body and create a discrepancy between the external environment and the properties of the body at the moment.

2. Responsive restructuring of the body occurs as a result of more or less prolonged or repeated exposure, leaving a trace in those physiological systems that play a major role in the implementation of reactions to this exposure.

3. The restructuring that occurs in the body is biologically expedient. [15, p. 82].

Four systems of conditions for normal socio-psychological adaptation are described:

1. The first system of conditions is “information” - the right and opportunity for children to receive reliable information on all issues that concern them

2. The second system of conditions is associated with the development of freedom-responsibility in children and adolescents.

3. The third system of conditions is self-acceptance.

4. The fourth system of conditions is skills of decent behavior.

All these systems of conditions, according to the authors, determine the successful social adaptation of a teenager to modern life as a whole. [27, p. 18].

In the process of socialization, a person interacts with the social environment. At the same time, he not only assimilates social experience, but transforms it into his values, attitudes, and orientations. The social development of a person largely depends on his condition and activity in self-determination. The activity of manifestation is largely determined by his feeling, to what extent he is adapted or maladapted in the environment, how he feels in society. Successful socialization presupposes a person’s adaptation to society and, at the same time, the ability to resist it in those life collisions that impede self-development, self-determination, and self-realization.

The possibilities (limits) of adaptation of a particular person are determined by his heredity, age, state of health and degree of fitness, which becomes especially important [24].

Adaptation is considered as a process, manifestation and result.

Adaptation as a process represents the natural development of a person’s adaptive capabilities in various conditions of his life environment or in certain conditions (for example, in kindergarten, class, group, at work, on vacation, etc.). It allows a person to ensure his natural self-realization and socialization.

Adaptation as a manifestation characterizes the typical behavior, attitude and performance of a person in the environment, as a reflection of his adaptation (comfortable well-being) to (in) it. By a person’s manifestations one can judge the degree of his adequacy to certain environmental conditions in a given period of time.

Adaptation as a result is evidence of the extent to which a child is adapted to the living environment, given conditions, and the extent to which his behavior, attitude and performance correspond to his age, social norms and rules accepted in this society. In relation to a child, it is an indicator of his social development and upbringing, the degree of his compliance or non-compliance with the bulk of his peers. In other words, this is an assessment of the compliance (inconsistency) of a child’s social development with his age.

Research and practice show that a person’s predisposition to adapt in a given situation largely depends on his individual identity, experience of adapting to a particular situation, a temporary break in the manifestation of experience, mood (desire and aspiration), state and self-activity. The experience of adaptation contributes to the formation of personality qualities that help to quickly get used to new conditions and adapt to them. By manifesting himself in a given situation, a person learns the experience of adaptation in it and in a similar (typical) situation [13].

The adaptation function consists of the following aspects:

The first is achieving success and satisfying needs by counteracting environmental factors that limit the self-organization of the individual.

The second is the renunciation of immediate needs for the sake of maintaining favorable relationships with the environment. In the presence of an internal conflict, under the influence of minimal environmental influences, the balance between a person’s egocentric needs and the ability to yield to the demands of the social environment is disrupted, and disadaptation occurs. Among the causes of maladaptation one can highlight problems of a social, medical, and psychological nature.

Medical problems are caused by pathological abnormalities in the health of orphans. Among orphans, the most common cause of pathology is brain damage due to intrauterine intoxication, birth trauma, neuroinfections of early childhood and other factors. Almost all children show signs of neuroticism, and some have severe neurosis caused by mental trauma associated with troubles in the former family and the loss of parents.

Problems of a psychological nature are more often determined by lack of parental love and affection, early deprivation of informal communication with adults; children, after an emotional family childhood, find themselves without parental care in a state institution. Such children constantly experience a state of frustration and are predisposed to neurotic breakdowns.

This factor, as is known, leaves an imprint on the entire further period of personality formation. Underdevelopment, as a result of such deprivation of identification mechanisms, becomes the cause of emotional coldness, aggressiveness and, at the same time, increased vulnerability of a boarding school student.

Problems of a pedagogical nature are most often associated with the socio-pedagogical neglect of children entering the orphanage. A number of authors who consider the problems of adaptation and maladaptation in their articles describe some factors that can cause maladjustment in any child, regardless of his status [13].

It is possible to identify the following factors characteristic of an orphanage, which also do not allow pupils to fully develop social self-sufficiency:

· the role of a social orphan, who does not have support and approval in society;

· living conditions (shared bedrooms, shared dining room, shared playrooms, shared toilet and bathroom);

· personal space where the child could be alone has been reduced;

· regulated regime of residence;

· constant forced contacts, no clear boundaries of personal space;

· restriction in social role position – student, pupil;

· regulated nature of gaming activities;

· lack of emotional warmth, leading to the repression of negative feelings (aggression);

· features of mental development of children;

· loss of “basic trust in the world,” in which such new personality formations as autonomy, initiative, social competence, skill in work, and gender identity are violated.

Social adaptation is a necessary condition for ensuring optimal socialization; determined by the degree of adequacy of the individual’s reactions to social influence at various levels.

Each person has his own natural predispositions to social adaptation and adaptation processes. Thanks to which, people successfully adapt to environmental conditions, including extremely difficult and unfavorable ones. Indicators of a person’s successful social adaptation are his satisfaction with this environment, the activity of self-government and the acquisition of appropriate experience.

For an orphanage pupil, the adaptive transition to an adult environment is very difficult, where he must realize himself as a part of society, since he is deprived of the protective care of his family. Until entering the orphanage, in many cases, the child’s entire experience of communication was limited to relationships with close adults, whose moral character left much to be desired, and the whole problem is that they acted as the undisputed authority in resolving all “life issues.” ” and “standards” in the acquisition of speech and behavior skills of a child. In all other cases, for children entering the orphanage, the “street”, with all its laws and principles, was the authority. In this regard, the teaching staff of the shelter, in their practical activities, specifically create a situation for organizing adaptation work with children and adolescents. However, it must be taken into account that the environment itself does not educate; it is necessary to turn it into an educational environment. When a student accepts it, he becomes an active participant in life, manifesting himself in accordance with the plans of the teachers.

Features of the adaptation period

Social adaptation of children when they begin attending an educational institution usually involves a deterioration in appetite. Psychologists explain this by the atypical, unusual taste of food, and a new diet. Stress leads to disruption of the receptors responsible for the perception of taste. If your appetite returns to normal, you can confidently talk about successful adaptation to a new place.

Sometimes parents note that in childhood adaptation is accompanied by a temporary deterioration in vocabulary. Psychologists explain this by a person’s tendency to use the simplest possible verbal structures in a complex stressful situation, when it is necessary to get used to a new environment. To some extent this is a defense mechanism. There is no need to panic: if adaptation proceeds normally, over time the vocabulary will increase again, and the functionality of speech will be completely restored.

Another manifestation of adaptation is a weakening of activity, the desire to learn, and a decrease in curiosity. The inhibited state is replaced by normal activity towards the end of the habituation period. In addition, the first month of visiting a new facility is usually accompanied by a deterioration in the immune system. Many people are susceptible to colds. The causes of the disease are psychological, much less often physiological. Under the influence of stress, the body's defenses weaken and the ability to resist aggressive factors decreases. As soon as emotional stability is achieved, the tendency to get sick goes away.

Diagnostics

An individual can be diagnosed with adjustment disorder based on the presence of symptoms:

1. Asthenic - fatigue, increased irritability, sleep disturbance.
2. Anxious - increased excitability, causeless anxiety, drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, loss of a sense of security.
3. Depressive - predominance of decadent mood, decreased concentration, apathy.
4. Behavioral reactions - indifference to the team, withdrawal into negative habits, a sharp change in the usual way of life.
5. Inappropriate emotional reactions - increased level of aggression, sudden outbursts of anger, followed by apathy.
6. Cognitive reactions - decreased speed of information processing, intellectual productivity.
7. Vegetative syndrome - muscle spasms, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, sweating, rapid heartbeat.

In cases of severe adjustment disorder, a person experiences suicidal mood. This does not necessarily lead to a suicide attempt, but is often accompanied by self-harm: the person cuts himself.

Benefits and harms

You should not send your child to an educational institution too early. Even if the child can cope with the adaptation normally, being separated from the mother too quickly does not bring anything good. Scientists have found that attending kindergarten at the age of two is guaranteed to cause severe stress, affecting the baby’s physiology and psyche. This practice can lead to neurotic reactions, because the age is still too young for separation from the mother to be painless. Consequently, the baby develops slowly, and the quality of the skills acquired also becomes lower.

The child cannot adequately contact and trust his parents, since the connection was broken too early, without strengthening. Over the years, the problems only get worse, and kids face problems interacting with peers. By the age of four, children form groups to play, and until this point it is preferable to play alone. If a child finds himself in a group setting too early, he cannot develop adequately. This often has a negative effect on speech functions.

Metaneeds and metapathologies

These concepts are directly related to the topic of problems of psychological adaptation. Metaneeds are the highest human needs. These include:

1. Freedom.
2. Integrity.
3. Beauty.
4. Justice.
5. Self-respect.
6. Gratitude.
7. Self-realization.
8. Creative self-actualization.
9. Honor.
10. Self-transcendence.

If a person does not receive any of the above (what is very important and valuable for him), then metapathologies are formed:

1. Anger and hatred.
2. Inability to love and show feelings.
3. Apathy.
4. Loss of interest in life.
5. Egocentrism.
6. Depression.
7. Despair.
8. The habit of shifting responsibility to others.
9. Impatience.
10. Vulgarity.

Naturally, metapathologies interfere with the process of psychological adaptation. Because they cause distortion of value development. Many people are deprived of justice, honesty, kindness, and therefore compassion, nobility, respect for other people, their views, values ​​and feelings are alien to them.

A perfect person is not born. But you need to strive for self-improvement. The more harmonious and holistic a person becomes, the easier psychological adaptation is for him. And this makes life in society much easier.