Adaptation is a process that allows the body to adapt to new requirements, conditions of a changing environment. It can be psychological, physiological and biological. To understand what adaptation is, it is necessary to dwell on its types in more detail.
Biological adaptation
In biology, speaking of this phenomenon, it means the development of some separate trait that allows a certain species to survive and reproduce. This process occurs not only in all groups of animals, but also in plants. Morphological adaptation is manifested in such phenomena as the rapid swimming of aquatic animals, survival in conditions of moisture deficiency or where there are high temperatures. Even the tortoise shell, which makes it possible to survive in difficult conditions, is a manifestation of this type of adaptation.
Physiological
It is usually associated with the chemical processes occurring in the body. For more
clear understanding of what adaptation is, let's take an example: the smell of a certain flower can attractspecific insects. This will help pollinate the plant. In addition, adaptation lies in the structural features of the digestive tract of a particular animal species, its enzymatic set, which depends on the composition of the food. For example, desert dwellers can survive and meet the need for moisture through a biochemical process that promotes the oxidation of fats.
Adaptation in psychological aspect
It is usually spoken of in the context of the concept of individual he alth. To understand what adaptation is in psychological terms, it is necessary to consider its structure:
- Psychophysiological. It includes a number of physiological reactions of the body. This species cannot be considered in isolation from the personal and mental components.
- Psychological. Helps to adequately respond to various environmental situations. All its levels take part in the process of regulation, which is defined as the state in which the needs of the individual meet the requirements of the environment, as well as the process by which a state of balance is achieved. In the process of adaptation, both the personality itself and the environment are subject to change. As a result, certain relationships are established. Psychological adaptation is general and situational. Moreover, the total is the result of a number of situational adaptations.
- Social. To understand what social adaptation is, it is necessary to consider such concepts as socio-psychological adaptation and socialcompliance. However, in any case, we can talk about the absence of the experience of conflict with the environment.
Socio-psychological: the process of overcoming certain situations by a person, during which such adaptation uses the skills that it acquired in the previous stages of socialization. This allows the individual to interact with the group without external and internal conflicts, to justify role expectations and assert themselves. An example would be adjusting to school.
Social Compliance: This is commonly referred to in relation to children and persons suffering from mental disorders. This is the correction of adaptation disorders that occur on the part of the environment in such a way that unacceptable behavior in one case becomes acceptable in another.
