Adaptation is a process that allows the body to adapt to new requirements, the 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 implies the development of a certain individual trait that allows a particular 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, allowing you to survive in difficult conditions, is a manifestation of this type of adaptation.
Physiological
It is usually associated with chemical processes in the body. For more
a clear idea of what adaptation is, we give an example: the smell of a certain flower can attract specific insects. This will contribute to the pollination of the plant. In addition, adaptation consists in the structural features of the digestive tract of a separate animal species, its enzymatic set, which depends on the composition of the food. Thus, desert inhabitants can survive and satisfy the need for moisture through a biochemical process that promotes fat oxidation.
Adaptation in the psychological aspect
They usually talk about her in the context of the concept of individual health. 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 type cannot be considered separately from the personal and mental components.
- Psychological. Helps to adequately respond to various environmental situations. All its levels take part in the regulatory process, which is defined as a state in which the individual’s needs are faced with environmental requirements, as well as a 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 concepts such as socio-psychological adaptation and social pliability. However, in any case, we can talk about the lack of experiencing conflict with the environment.
Socio-psychological: the process of overcoming certain situations by a person, during which such adaptation uses those skills that it acquired at the previous stages of socialization. This allows the individual to interact with the group without external and internal conflicts, justify role expectations and assert themselves. An example is adaptation to school.
Social pliability: it is usually spoken about in relation to children and persons with mental disorders. This is a correction of adaptation disturbances that occurs on the part of the environment in such a way that unacceptable behavior in one case becomes acceptable in another.