Maladjustment: what is it, types, causes and signs, correction

A person who violates generally accepted rules (morals, behavior in society, regulations in various institutions and even laws) is perceived by society as a problematic person. Most believe that this is dictated by a lack of upbringing or pathologies of mental development. However, this attitude is most often erroneous, because the essence of “rebellion” lies in inability to adapt to certain conditions of existence. In psychology there is a name for this phenomenon - maladjustment. It requires lengthy and complex correction, which is impossible without a specialist.

What it is

Disadaptation is a person’s inability to adapt to certain, most often new, conditions of existence. It finds expression in behavior that is not typical for him in his usual environment. For example, at home he can behave completely normally: communicate with family and neighbors, take care of his parents, keep the apartment clean, and show respect for family values. At work, he changes radically: he cannot establish contact with colleagues and superiors, he is rude or withdrawn and does not utter a word, does not comply with the company’s Charter (he is late, smokes in the wrong place).

Maladaptive behavior is a violation of the basic rules of society that apply in certain conditions (at work, at school, in the family, in a government agency, in any association).

However, with maladaptation, not only behavior changes, but also the psychophysical state of a person. If at home he is calm and feels great, then at work his level of anxiety rises sharply, his breathing and heart rate quicken, he sweats profusely, and panic attacks occur. This condition affects almost all personal spheres - emotional, physiological, behavioral.

How this could end:

with successful correction and outside help, adaptation will go well and the person will be able to learn the rules and regulations;
in their absence, he will not withstand the emotional load, aggravated by physiology, and will fall out (consciously or not) from these conditions of existence: change jobs, get divorced, stop going to school;
will continue to tolerate them, and this maladjustment will force him to live in constant stress.

The last case is the most difficult. Psychologists say that more than 30% of people can be called maladjusted, since they cannot emotionally, physically and psychologically accept the work conditions they have to go to every day. They don’t turn to specialists for help, and they don’t try to look for a new place for various reasons (here it’s closer to home, they pay well, but what if it turns out worse there).

On a note. In medicine there is a similar diagnosis: maladjustment syndrome. It is given to newborns with cardiovascular disorders due to perinatal hypoxia.

School maladjustment: causes, signs, prevention

School adaptation is a child’s adaptation to a new system of social conditions, new relationships, requirements, types of activities, and regime moments. Violation of the process of entering the school system of relations is, in fact, maladjustment.

School maladjustment is a disorder in the adaptation of a school-age child to the conditions of an educational institution, in which learning abilities decrease and relationships with teachers and classmates deteriorate. It most often occurs in younger schoolchildren, but can also occur in children in high school.

Causes of school maladjustment:

Insufficient preparation for school: the child does not have enough knowledge and skills to cope with the school curriculum, or his psychomotor skills are poorly developed. For example, he writes significantly slower than other students and does not have time to complete assignments.
Lack of skills to control one's own behavior. It is difficult for a child to sit through an entire lesson, not shout out, remain silent during class, etc.
Lack of adaptation to the pace of school learning. This occurs more often in physically weakened children or in children who are naturally slow (due to physiological characteristics).
Difficulties of socialization. The child cannot build contact with classmates or the teacher.
Low level of development of functional abilities of cognitive processes.
Parents' overly emotional reactions to their child's failures at school. The child begins to be afraid of disappointing his parents and, as a result, he develops a negative reaction regarding everything related to school.
A protest against the educational system for teenagers as a response to the reaction of teachers to the self-expression of schoolchildren (which manifests itself in too much activity, through clothing and appearance).
Peer influence. Especially school maladaptation of adolescents is very dependent on this factor. If peers protest the educational system, then there is a high probability that the child himself will also join the general protest.

As reasons for school maladaptation, several more factors are identified that influence the student’s behavior at school and his lack of normal adaptation:

Insufficient psycho-emotional development of the child. There is no emotional-volitional readiness: the ability to take responsibility, find a way out of a difficult situation, the ability to turn to adults for help to solve their problems. Insufficiently high self-esteem, self-confidence, self-awareness of one’s place in the situation. In cognitive activity, motivation and attitudes towards independent acquisition of knowledge are not sufficiently formed, because lack of arbitrariness in memorization, concentration of attention, etc.
Organic and psychosomatic diseases significantly interfere with and limit the possibilities of school adaptation.
Social environment. This includes family, relatives, peers in the yard and at school, etc. This is the reality that forms or causes a maladaptive state or behavior, especially in children with unstable character. Some children experience the influence of the environment on them, others succumb to its influence and become a product of the environment.
Teacher's personality. The position of the teacher is acceptable in a democratic style, personality-oriented on character, abilities, and personality traits.
Emotionally stressful experiences. Includes internal and external interpersonal conflict. Children have a hard time experiencing negative assessments of them by adults and peers. They cannot respond promptly and adequately to a traumatic situation, which causes early childhood neuroses and maladaptive behavior.
Impaired mental function. It does not allow you to mobilize the emotional and volitional sphere for success in studies and behavior.
Characteristic features of a schoolchild's personality. Character is hereditarily predetermined, given, so you have to take this into account. Such behavioral features: hyperactivity, hypoactivity (slowness), anxiety, disorganization, conflict, aggression, irritability, etc. are predetermined by their character type. The character is not subject to psychocorrection, but behavior can be changed. These two categories are closely interrelated and this must be taken into account.
Defects of home education. A special place in the formation of maladaptation is occupied by conflicts in the family, antisocial behavior of parents, humiliation, authoritarianism and directiveness of parents, unfair punishment, and excessive control.

In order to detect, prevent development or gradually overcome school maladaptation in time, it is important to carefully monitor the child’s condition and behavior. It is also useful to communicate with a teacher who observes the child’s direct behavior at school. Parents of other children can also help, because many schoolchildren tell them about events at school.

Let us consider the features of the manifestation of maladaptation at difficult age stages.

Admission to school

The beginning of school life is a serious test for most children entering first grade, associated with a sharp change in their entire lifestyle. Adaptation to school is the child’s transition to systematic schooling and his adaptation to school conditions, to a new team, new requirements and daily responsibilities.

This period also coincides with the “seven years crisis” . There is a restructuring of the child’s self-awareness, differentiation of the internal and external aspects of the personality. Stable forms of relationships with peers and adults and basic educational attitudes begin to form.

Adaptation of a first grader lasts from the first 10-15 days to several months .

Components of school readiness:

This is physical readiness. Physical readiness means general physical development: normal height, weight, chest volume, muscle tone, body proportions, skin and indicators corresponding to the norms of physical development of boys and girls of 6-7 years of age. Condition of vision, hearing, motor skills (especially small movements of the hands and fingers). The state of the child’s nervous system: the degree of its excitability and balance, strength and mobility. General health.
Pedagogical readiness. Reading, counting, drawing skills, general awareness: the name of your city, capital, homeland, our planet, main professions, seasons, parts of the day, days of the week, natural phenomena, etc.
Psychological readiness includes the following:

Personal and social. Personal readiness includes the formation in a child of readiness to accept a new social position - the position of a schoolchild who has a range of rights and responsibilities. This personal readiness is expressed in the child’s attitude towards school, educational activities, teachers, and himself. Personal readiness also includes a certain level of development of the motivational sphere.
Emotionally-volitional. Emotional-volitional readiness implies a reduction in impulsive reactions and the ability to perform a not very attractive task for a long time, the ability to control one’s behavior, as well as the formation of voluntary attention.
Intelligent. It assumes that the child has an outlook, a stock of specific knowledge, and also a certain level of development of mental processes (memory, thinking, attention, perception, speech).

Readiness for schooling is a certain level:

Social skills, including the ability to communicate with peers and adults, assess the situation and regulate one’s behavior.
Development of mental functions, without which learning is impossible or difficult.
Personal development, characterizing self-awareness, self-esteem, motivation.
Development of voluntariness.
Physical condition.
Speech capabilities.

The main manifestations of school maladjustment:

Physiological and emotional signs (sleep disturbance, tension, tearfulness, imbalance, depression).
Failure in learning, falling behind the school curriculum in one or more subjects.
General anxiety at school, fear of testing knowledge, public speaking and assessment, inability to concentrate in work, uncertainty, confusion when answering.
Violation of relationships with peers: aggression, alienation, increased excitability and conflict.
Violations in relationships with teachers, violation of discipline and disobedience to school norms.
Personality disorders (feelings of inferiority, stubbornness, fears, deceit, hypersensitivity, isolation, sullenness).
Inadequate self-esteem. With high self-esteem - a desire for leadership, touchiness, a high level of aspirations simultaneously with self-doubt, avoidance of difficulties. With low self-esteem: indecision, conformity, lack of initiative, lack of independence.

At the beginning of school, many children's initial immediate interest in school and activities decreases. From time to time, children begin to say that they are tired of studying (especially at the end of the week and quarter), but are actively interested in everything else. They are happy when they don’t have to do homework. From time to time they want to stay at home and skip classes. Sometimes expresses dissatisfaction with the teacher or concerns about him. This is quite normal. But if you notice a complete lack of interest in learning, lethargy and lack of initiative in the child. Indifference to everything, even to games, if they require at least some kind of tension. The reluctance to go to school and study in general is expressed constantly and openly in the forms of active protest, or by symptoms of illnesses that end immediately after they are allowed to stay at home. The child really dislikes or is afraid of the teacher, feels fear, powerlessness or aggression towards him. The reluctance to learn is persistent and actively expressed. In this case, there is cause for concern.

Help for parents of first-graders during the period of adaptation to school:

Unconditionally accept the child, not just for any merits.
Don't show your child that you're only concerned about his school performance.
Be sincerely interested in your child’s school life, his relationships with classmates, and extracurricular activities.
Help your child believe in himself by highlighting as the most significant the area of activity in which he is successful.
Don't ask your child everything at once. Your requirements must correspond to the level of development of his skills and cognitive abilities. The child is still learning to manage himself, organize his activities and really needs support, understanding and approval from adults.
The child has the right to make mistakes. It is important that the child is not afraid to make mistakes. If something doesn’t work out for him, don’t scold him. Otherwise, he will be afraid of making mistakes and will believe that he cannot do anything. If you notice an error, draw your child's attention to it and offer to correct it. And be sure to praise. Praise for every success, even the smallest one.
Allow your child to face the negative consequences of their actions (or inactions). This helps him mature and become more conscious.
Help your child express his feelings, thereby making it easier for the child to survive the traumatic situation and find a way to cope with it.
When helping your child complete a task, do not interfere with everything he does. Otherwise, he will begin to think that he is not able to cope with the task on his own. Don’t think or decide for him, otherwise he will very quickly understand that he has no need to study, his parents will still help solve everything.
Express your dissatisfaction with individual actions of the child, but not with them as a whole.
Have small celebrations. Even the smallest success can be the reason for this.

Transition from primary school to secondary school

The transition of students from primary school to secondary school is a difficult and responsible period; The child’s entire future school life depends on how the adaptation process goes. During this period, the requirements for the intellectual and personal development of students and the degree of development of educational skills increase. To the ability for self-regulation, development of communication skills.

The success of a younger teenager’s adaptation depends not only on intellectual readiness, but also on how well he knows how to establish relationships and communicate with classmates and teachers, follow school rules, and navigate new situations. The adaptation situation causes increased anxiety in many fifth-graders, both school and personal. The fear of not meeting the expectations of others increases. For a younger teenager, the opinions of classmates and teachers are very important. Up to half of all fifth-graders experience difficulties and fears in relationships with teachers. Parents, by focusing on academic performance, can provoke school fears associated with self-doubt, anxiety about negative grades or their expectations.

The main problems arising during the adaptation period:

new subjects, new teachers;
the need to adapt to the peculiar tempo and peculiarities of teachers’ speech;
increased pace and volume of work;
the need to independently find additional literature and work with it;
new mode;
new children in the class, new class teacher;
problems with high school students.

Signs of successful adaptation:

child's satisfaction with the learning process;
the child can easily cope with the program;
the degree of independence of the child when completing educational tasks, readiness to resort to the help of an adult only after attempts to complete the task himself;
satisfaction with interpersonal relationships - with classmates and the teacher.

The main manifestations of school maladjustment:

Tired, tired appearance of a child.
The child’s reluctance to share his impressions of the day.
The desire to distract an adult from school events, to switch attention to other topics.
Reluctance to do homework.
Negative characteristics about the school, teachers, classmates.
Complaints about certain events related to the school.
Restless sleep.
Difficulty waking up in the morning, lethargy.
Constant complaints of feeling unwell.
The student’s feeling of personal failure and rejection from the team.
Changes in the motivational side of activity; avoidance motives begin to dominate.
Loss of perspective, self-confidence, increasing feelings of anxiety and social apathy.
Increased conflicts with others.
Academic failure of adolescents.

Help from parents to fifth-graders during the adaptation period:

The first condition for a fifth-grader’s school success is unconditional acceptance of the child, despite the failures that he has already encountered or may encounter.
If something worries you about your child’s behavior, try to meet and discuss it with the class teacher or psychologist as soon as possible.
If any events have occurred in the family that have affected the child’s psychological state (divorce, one of the parents going on a long business trip, the birth of another child, etc.), inform the class teacher about this.
Show interest in school affairs, discuss difficult situations, and look for a way out of conflicts together. Informal communication with your child after the last school day.
Help your child learn the names of new teachers.
You should not immediately weaken control over your child’s educational activities if he has become accustomed to your control during elementary school.
Accustom him to independence gradually.
Create conditions for the development of independence in the child’s behavior. A fifth-grader must certainly have household responsibilities for which he is responsible.
Despite the apparent maturity, a fifth-grader needs unobtrusive control from his parents, since he cannot always navigate the new demands of school life on his own.
For a fifth-grader, the teacher is no longer such an indisputable authority as before; teachers may receive critical remarks. It is important to discuss with the child the reasons for his dissatisfaction, while maintaining the authority of the teacher.
A fifth-grader is no longer so interested in studying in itself; many people are interested in going to school because there are a lot of friends there. It is important that the child has the opportunity to discuss his school affairs, studies and relationships with family friends and parents.
Inadmissibility of physical measures of influence, intimidation, criticism of the child, especially in the presence of other people (grandparents, peers).
Elimination of such punishments as deprivation of pleasure, physical and mental punishment.
Taking into account the child’s temperament during the period of adaptation to school education. Slow and uncommunicative children have a much harder time getting used to the classroom and quickly lose interest in it if they feel violence, sarcasm and cruelty from adults and peers.
Providing the child with independence in educational work and organizing reasonable control over his educational activities.
Encouragement of the child, and not only for academic success. Moral stimulation of the child's achievements.
The main helpers of parents in difficult situations are patience, attention and understanding. Try to create a favorable climate in the family for the child.

Compiled by educational psychologist S.V. Kazakova. based on Internet materials

Causes

Disadaptation is facilitated by various factors, which can work both individually and in combination. They are divided into exogenous and endogenous.

Personal (internal) reasons lead a person to insufficient fulfillment of his needs in society. It can be:

long-term illness;
mental illnesses and disabilities;
limited opportunities;
long-term isolation;
switching to another field of activity (long business trip, academic leave, maternity leave);
pedagogical neglect, lack of education.

Environmental (external) factors create unusual, uncomfortable conditions of existence for a person, which can restrain his personal manifestations. These include:

unfavorable family environment;
lack of love and attention to the child from parents;
lack of mutual understanding with peers, rejection by the team;
a new environment, a change in the usual way of life, unexpected events, crisis (turning) moments;
“market education”: lack of material wealth makes a person a black sheep;
the negative influence of the Internet and the media, which form the concept of an idealized virtual world that has nothing in common with the real one;
the maladaptive influence of one person (teacher, parent, boss, husband);
physical and emotional overload (especially acutely felt by a child when entering first grade).

When correcting the behavior of a maladjusted person, it is necessary to take into account the factors that provoked this condition. If a number of reasons can no longer be eliminated (lack of parental love in childhood or pedagogical neglect), then some of them can be eliminated (the influence of an authoritarian personality or the Internet).

Signs

In children, maladaptive behavior is noticeable to the naked eye, even to a non-specialist. Parents, teachers, school psychologists, and peers see this. In adults it may be more veiled. For example, if a person does not want to lose his job and does not have mental disabilities, he can hide his dissatisfaction, although this can still be seen by some external manifestations (disrespect for colleagues and boss, systematic tardiness, frequent sick leave, depression). Psychologists call the most striking signs of maladjustment:

irritability, which extends not only to others, but also to one’s own behavior;
aggression;
negative thinking (bad thoughts prevail over good ones);
withdrawal into oneself: lack of new acquaintances, breakup of old relationships, loss of connections with friends and family, replacement of the real world with an illusory one;
concentration on oneself, complete immersion in one’s own experiences, emptiness;
partial or complete violation of moral and legal norms, rules in force in the conditions in which he finds himself;
an attempt to adapt the environment to oneself, but not oneself to new conditions;
maladjusted children (especially teenagers) are characterized by pronounced antisocial, deviant behavior;
deterioration of mental state: depression, nervousness, inadequate assessment of oneself and what is happening, panic attacks, anxiety;
deterioration of physical health: pressure surges, increased heart rate, increased sweating and other vegetative-vascular symptom complexes.

The most critical manifestation of maladjustment, according to psychologists, is social phobia, which, if uncorrected, can lead to suicide and, in childhood, autism.

Features of psychological maladjustment

Is it difficult to recognize maladjustment in yourself, a loved one or a child?

It is difficult for a person who does not strive to interact with people to exist in the real world. He lives more in an illusory, invented reality. The following signs are characteristic of the violation:

When maladjusted, a person is overly irritable. It is difficult for him to take the side of another, to understand him. It should be noted that he often does not understand himself.
Aggression is a common sign of psychological maladjustment. Due to the loss of harmonious communication skills, a person’s thinking becomes more negative. He strives to get what he wants through manipulation, but not through direct interaction with people.
Withdrawal into oneself. Due to the fact that it becomes more and more difficult to make new acquaintances, the person withdraws into himself, replacing real emotions and feelings with fantasies. Closeness is also a way for an individual to protect himself from the influences of society. It is important for him that no one and nothing change his mood and intentions.
Focus on yourself. Not wanting to communicate with other people, the person is completely immersed in his own experiences. Despite such detachment, deep down a person is very worried that he is not needed by society and feels empty. But, unfortunately, recognizing the problem and taking action can be very difficult.
Reluctance to adapt to the demands of society. It seems to a person that reality should correspond to a state of affairs that is convenient for him. If this is not the case, the best way is to protect yourself from all kinds of risks. But in the end, this only makes the situation worse.
The individual becomes socially phobic. This trait characterizes any type of maladjustment. Due to the fact that a person does not want to build social connections, he may soon be left completely alone. Other people in return will also not be interested in his condition.

Levels

In psychology, there are several levels of maladjustment.

Null

These are prerequisites for the fact that maladaptation is embedded in the human psyche from childhood, and it can manifest itself at any moment of conflict or crisis period. At this stage there are no personal deviations or deformations of moral values. However, the tendency can be recognized by a special line of behavior (frequent riots, denial, rudeness, bad manners). Easily amenable to correction through mastering social norms.

Formation of attitudes

If at the zero stage the tendency towards maladaptation was not noticed, and therefore did not undergo correction, negative social attitudes begin to form. Personal deformations are still not observed, but the person begins to depend on the behavior of others, although outwardly he tries to demonstrate that he does not care. At this stage, maladaptive protest can be expressed in smoking, drinking alcohol, or joining informal groups. Correction methods include training and individual work with a psychologist.

Systematization

A person develops a stable rejection of the conditions in which he finds himself. He can clearly articulate what he doesn't like (doing homework, getting up early, working overtime, coming home on time). Despite this, he does not try to change anything in the current situation, and he has no choice but to demonstrate his protest to others. In adolescents, this can be expressed in fights and hooliganism, in adults - in rudeness and open conflicts. Stable personality deformations and disturbances in the motivational-need sphere begin to be observed. Correction - change of activity and environment, work with a psychotherapist.

Addictions

If the previous stage is delayed and the person does not receive help, he can become dangerous to others and himself. There may be a split personality. That is, where he is in his comfort zone, he is sweet, kind and sociable. But in a job he hates, under the yoke of emotional stress, manic-depressive tendencies can manifest themselves: he quietly destroys important documents, steals money, writes anonymous slander, and weaves intrigues. In prolonged cases, even a psychotherapist may not be able to cope; you will have to go to a psychiatrist.

Types of maladjustment and their characteristics

It is not possible to describe absolutely all types and types of maladjustment, since this is too multifaceted a phenomenon. Therefore, in psychology there are several classifications.

Generally accepted classification

It is based on those factors that provoke the development of maladaptation, and those areas of the personality that it deforms.

Social

The essence: loss of connections and contacts with society.

Leading sign: antisocial behavior.

A striking example: joining a new team due to a change of job, school, place of residence and rejection of its rules.

Methods of correction: group trainings, social adaptation, work on interpersonal relationships.

Pathogenic/mental maladjustment

Essence: nervous, mental illnesses and deviations.

Leading symptom: inadequate reaction to what is happening, inability to control one’s own behavior and emotions.

Vivid examples: phobias, alcohol or drug addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, neurasthenia, bipolar personality disorder.

Methods of correction: psychotherapy, psychiatry, treatment of the leading disease that became the cause.

Psychosocial/psychological maladjustment

The bottom line: non-perception of social norms is associated with personality deformations.

Leading sign: inability to establish contact with others due to internal complexes and incorrectly formed self-esteem.

A striking example: a child spoiled by his parents, who did not attend kindergarten, went to first grade, and it is difficult for him to realize and accept the fact that there are at least 20 other children nearby who also require the attention of adults.

Methods of correction: group and auto-training, work with a psychologist.

It is extremely difficult to grasp the fine line between social and psychosocial types of maladaptive behavior.

Other classifications

Depending on the involvement in the process:

partial - temporary loss from public life (due to illness, business trip);
complete - antisocial behavior is accompanied by profound personal changes.

Depending on the conditions:

School

It is observed when a child cannot fit into the norms and rules of school life. Most often it is diagnosed during the transition from kindergarten to 1st grade, from primary to secondary school, and at an older age it is associated with adolescence and puberty. This is almost always a psychosocial partial maladaptation, which can be overcome with the help of parents, teachers and psychologists. Less often, it acquires the features of a pathogenic form and becomes a stable neoplasm in the psyche.

Read more in the article: School maladjustment

Professional

The reason may be not only a change in activity or place of work, but also conflicts with superiors or colleagues. It can manifest itself in completely different ways: someone openly speaks at all meetings with accusatory speeches, tries to adjust the rules and conditions to their comfortable existence, someone tolerates and accumulates discontent in themselves.

There are also climatic and medical forms, but they are not considered in psychology.

Depending on the strength of manifestations:

pronounced, pathological, unconcealed;
moderate, when a person shows his discomfort, but does not go beyond what is permitted;
hidden, veiled - it is not demonstrated, and this is fraught with serious personal changes that can lead to suicide.

By nature of manifestation:

behavioral, when protest is openly demonstrated;
emotional – experienced most often internally.

Psychologists also often distinguish between two similar concepts: maladaptation is the process of rejection of new conditions of existence. It is still leaking, so it can be corrected and reversible. Maladaptation is already a stable addiction when protest affects and changes intrapersonal formations.

Danger of violation

Since many people's behavior changes depending on their environment and situation, calculating social maladaptation is not easy. Moreover, it does not appear immediately. Developing gradually, the disorder can make itself felt suddenly when, for example, a person finds himself in a difficult situation and it turns out that he is not adapted to it.

The loss of the ability to adapt to circumstances is often not considered serious by the individual. But the danger of psychological maladjustment is that the longer it develops without being corrected, the more difficult it will be to eradicate the problem. As you know, changing behavioral habits is very difficult. And when they are caused by psychophysical conditions that have been fixed for years, this may turn out to be impossible.

Diagnostics

Psychologists and psychotherapists can recognize signs of maladaptation by a person’s characteristic behavior and related indicators of his mental and physical health. If in children all this is diagnosed quickly enough, then with adults, especially if they mask their dissatisfaction, sometimes you have to work for a long time. First, a conversation is held with a specialized specialist, and if necessary, a medical examination is prescribed. But psychological tests are becoming the main diagnostic tool.

Luscher

It is possible to identify a state of maladjustment according to Luscher. His mixed and achromatic color tables determine the degree and style of deviation. For example, yellow in a certain position indicates rejection of one’s profession, and purple indicates a woman’s rebellion against her own pregnancy.

Leary

Another famous questionnaire, Leary’s, helps determine the degree of maladjustment. Its goal is to identify the difference between “I am real” and “I am ideal.” The deeper it is, the more advanced the form of pathology. The condition is characterized from the point of view of such key personal formations as deceit, acceptance/non-acceptance of oneself/others, emotional comfort/discomfort, internal/external control, dominance, control and escapism.

Personality factors

Another questionnaire characterizing several personality types, among which there are those who are prone to rejecting social norms and attitudes. For example, the personality type “k+” is characterized by a social form of rejection, “d+” is characterized by maladaptation of the depressive type, and “d-” is characterized by the cyclothymic type. Their descriptions are given in the answers to the test.

Correction and prevention

The most effective ways to correct maladjustment:

a course of consultations or treatment with a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist;
conversations with your immediate environment (family, friends, colleagues, classmates);
elimination of provoking factors;
role situations;
for children - game forms of correction;
organization of leisure activities to develop communication skills.

The leading method of correction is training to overcome maladjustment. It can be group (for the treatment of social phobia) and individual (if the cause is related to the deformation of intrapersonal formations). The task is to show a person that his needs and rules of behavior in society can be compatible without harming him.

Prevention should be carried out in childhood. The child needs to be taught the norms of behavior in society so that he understands the need to obey them. If he learns this from an early age, he will be able to easily integrate into the team and the learning process at school, and in the future he will develop these skills in the professional field. For the purpose of prevention, adults can be advised to take various group trainings, which you can sign up for in any major city.

Maladaptive mental states

The criterion for identifying maladaptive mental states is a decrease or loss of a person’s control over his condition, which in terms of the intensity of the experience or duration exceeds the person’s regulatory capabilities.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Prevention of adverse mental conditions

Basic mechanisms:

The first mechanism is associated with the inclusion of volitional regulation;

The second mechanism involves cognitive reappraisal along the lines of “Not really necessary”;

The third mechanism includes indirect cognitive control (involves the involvement of additional organizational, group, and personal resources).