Types and structure of social adaptation

Definition of social adaptation

Definition 1 Social adaptation plays one of the most significant roles for sociology due to its significance for each member of society. It represents the individual’s ability to adapt to ongoing changes and adjust their ideas, views, methods of interaction, and so on. The presence of such a skill allows a person, even when his environment, conditions and environment change, to remain himself, without experiencing stress when adjusting to a new way of life. The modern world is a constant, dynamic change of circumstances and roles, which is why such a skill is especially important. Simply put, social adaptation is a person’s adaptation to changing conditions for harmonious functioning in society.

If adaptation is successful, then a person can easily find his place both interpersonally and professionally, unlock his potential and coexist harmoniously. In this case, communication skills also develop; such a person quickly realizes his potential and achieves goals, despite the fact that he finds himself in a new, unfamiliar environment. He has the ability to build strong connections, knows how to find profitable offers and interest other people in interaction. Such a person very quickly understands what the structure of the system is, how it works and what is needed to maintain balance.

New conditions may imply not only a change in the environment or roles, but also a change in institutional foundations - different laws may work there, and institutions function on the basis of other principles. Ignorance does not relieve an individual of the need to comply with new norms and laws, especially since ignorance of them will serve as an obstacle for him. Mastering new strategies allows you to reconsider your views, develop loyalty to the system and understanding of its algorithms, and get away from the “friend or foe” dichotomy. It is assumed that if a person wants to become part of any community, then he must be ready to fulfill new obligations.

Note Adaptation is not a one-time process; it is long-term and has its own characteristics, including temporary ones. Even if a person does not realize the need for solidarity with society and accepted norms, he still, being part of it, adopts the rules of interaction. This is due to the rapid change of environment, living conditions, and one’s own ideas. To have weight in society, adaptation cannot be ignored or suppressed. But it cannot be said that it is independent, because a person will still have to learn something about the new way of life, observe, and rebuild his ideas. In this regard, several questions arise: how to find your place in the new conditions? How to find the meaning of life in a new reality?

Stages, mechanisms and methods of social adaptation

Stages of social adaptation:

1. Adaptation shock , which is understood as a general disorder of the functions of a social subject or system, due to some shock of a sociogenic nature caused by a sharp disruption of the usual interaction with the external environment. This is one of the most painful stages of social adaptation, and a period of paralyzing fear and inaction and, at the same time, a primary, emotional assessment and an attempt at the very first understanding of the essence of the changes taking place. It is at this stage of social adaptation that the subject first faces the need to master new elements of the social environment and learns their positive and negative sides.

The considered stage of social adaptation represents a rather serious danger for social subjects whose social, psychological and physical potential is insufficient to overcome the difficulties that arise. In some cases, adaptation shock can become the basis for the destruction of the human personality or even its physical death.

2. Mobilization of adaptation resources. Here, for subjects who managed to survive the stage of adaptation shock, a stage of deep understanding of the situation begins and concentration of efforts on a conscious search for a way out of it. This stage is associated with an active, conscious search, choice and development at the behavioral level of new models of life activity. In this case, the subject, based on the results of the initial development of the new social environment at the previous stage of social adaptation, gets the opportunity to choose and put into practice the most suitable way of behavior and activity, activating his own abilities and capabilities.

The present stage of social adaptation involves the activation of the subject's adaptive potential. Adaptive potential is understood as a set of properties and resources that a person or group has in a latent form and is activated and updated in the process of social adaptation. The elements of adaptation potential can be such characteristics of the subject as the level of education and qualifications, demographic and social status, socio-psychological characteristics, etc. It is the presence of the subject’s adaptive potential and its characteristic features that determine the subject’s ability to master the situation and become accustomed to it.

3. Response to the “environmental challenge”. This is the final stage of the process of social adaptation. Its content represents the implementation of a specific model of behavior and activity that is chosen by the subject taking into account his own adaptive resources and capabilities, ideas about what is happening, as well as the main characteristics of the social environment in which the process of social adaptation takes place.

At the same time, it is necessary to remember that the choice made by the subject does not necessarily have to meet the requirements of the environment. A subject may make a mistake in his choice, choosing a model of behavior and activity that corresponds to his own goals, aspirations and capabilities, but contradicts the objective laws and trends in the development of the situation in which the process of social adaptation takes place. This circumstance can subsequently lead a person to serious problems and difficulties. In such conditions, professional assistance from a specialist, including a social worker, becomes an important and necessary link in the process of social adaptation of the subject.

Basic mechanisms of social adaptation: voluntary and forced.

Let's consider the action of each of them.

Voluntary adaptation is a situation in which new living conditions offered to a subject by the environment do not contradict his system of value orientations, beliefs and ideals and opens up new prospects and opportunities for the subject and, therefore, is accepted without resistance, even if this requires making certain efforts . For example, the opportunity to make a good career or receive a high salary can be considered by a person as the basis and necessity for changing jobs and adapting to a new team, obtaining education, retraining, etc. Difficulties that inevitably arise during the development of a new environment and new living conditions are accepted by the subject as “difficulties of growth” that must be passed through in order to get what they want.

In conditions of voluntary adaptation, changes in the social environment to which the subject needs to adapt, firstly, do not prevent him from living and acting in a familiar, convenient and accessible way. Secondly, the values, principles and ideals that were previously characteristic of the subject change in the new conditions of life without much resistance or tension, since he himself believed or was convinced of the merits and advantages of the new, in comparison with the old. Thirdly, the requirements that are presented to the subject by the social environment are, to a certain extent, adjusted in such a way that they become understandable and accessible to him.

Forced adaptation , on the contrary, is a situation in which the characteristics and properties of a new living environment for a subject do not correspond to and contradict his value-normative attitudes. However, at the same time, the subject cannot but accept these characteristics. That is, in contrast to voluntary adaptation, forced adaptation rigidly forces a person to accept new living conditions. Without doing this, he will not only be unable to find a new social niche for himself and new opportunities for self-realization, but will also lose the existing ones. For example, in order to save the life of himself and his loved ones, the opportunity to work, study, etc., a person may agree to accept the most stringent demands of society or government, even those that contradict his inner beliefs.

Depending on the means used in the process of social adaptation, another group of mechanisms of this process is distinguished.

1. Mental mechanisms aimed at the formation and development of the subject’s psyche, the influence of various factors of the social environment on it and the adaptation of the individual’s mental makeup to the requirements of the environment. This group of social adaptation mechanisms includes the mechanisms of mental defense, mental trauma, mental and psychological suggestion, etc.

2. Socio-psychological mechanisms designed to adapt the individual to the environment through its mastery in various ways.

This group includes, firstly, cognitive mechanisms, i.e. adaptation to the environment through its exploration, study and cognition. These include the mechanisms of imagination, thinking, and cognitive activity. Secondly, these are emotional mechanisms that allow the subject to adapt to the environment through the emotional states that it causes. In this case, the emotional experiences of an individual in a new living environment become the basis for him making appropriate decisions regarding the most appropriate forms of behavior and activity for the environment. This group of social adaptation mechanisms includes fear, anxiety, anxiety, peace, etc. Thirdly, these are behavioral mechanisms, which represent the choice and implementation by a subject in a new situation for him of a certain model of behavior and activity.

3. Social mechanisms represent the most significant elements of such a group of phenomena. These include, first of all, the mechanism of social activity, which can be considered as a universal mechanism of social adaptation. It is in the process of social activity that the subject is actually included in a new system of social relations, norms and values. As part of social activity, the subject acquires new social statuses and roles that allow him to enter a new social environment.

Another mechanism from this group is the mechanism of social communication, which allows the subject, firstly, to improve his existing communication skills and acquire new ones, and secondly, to expand the social environment of his own life and learn new social norms and values.

The external form of manifestation of adaptation processes, which allows us to draw conclusions about how successfully they proceed in each specific case, is adaptation behavior, i.e. the process of interaction between the subject and the social environment, during which mutual requirements and expectations are agreed upon and certain mechanisms of social adaptation are implemented.

Forms of adaptive behavior:

· conformism or subordination of the subject to the environment , when he fully fulfills the new requirements placed on him;

· innovation or renewal by a subject of the environment , when the development of the environment is carried out by the subject through certain changes in its individual aspects, properties and characteristics;

· external decency or ritualism , in which the subject’s adaptation to the environment occurs through external adherence to the requirements placed on him; at the same time, the subject’s own internal motives and goals may not coincide with similar characteristics of his new social environment;

· “ withdrawal” of the subject from the environment , his self-isolation or retreat; this form of behavior is chosen by the subject, most often, when his own social and personal resources are insufficient to overcome the stage of adaptation shock or when the subject’s own goals and interests fundamentally do not coincide and cannot coincide with similar characteristics of the environment;

· transformation of the environment by the subject or rebellion , rebellion, when the subject seeks to completely transform the environment in accordance with his ideas about it.

Thus, in the process of social adaptation, the subject’s activity can be adaptive, when he himself strives to adapt to the environment (conformism, ritualism and retreatism) and adaptive, in which the subject strives to independently change the environment in accordance with his goals, objectives and needs. The most effective result of social adaptation can be achieved in the case of a combination of adaptive and adaptive aspects in the behavior of the subject.

Types of social adaptation:

1. Functional , which represents the subject’s adaptation to a new social environment through the development and performance of new social functions. For example, a child’s adaptation to school is possible, among other things, through his mastering the functional responsibilities of a student.

2. Organizational , associated with the development and adaptation of the subject to new organizational structures, to a new system of social or intragroup stratification. An example of such adaptation can be a person’s mastery of hierarchical relationships in a new team. For example, at work, military service.

3. Situational, which represents the external adaptation of the subject to new conditions of existence and life. This type of social adaptation can be observed when a subject begins to adapt to the environment by fulfilling some of its requirements, rules and norms.

When organizing work on social support for a person, group or organization faced with the need for social adaptation to new conditions of existence and life, it is necessary to take into account that this process presupposes the need for the subject to overcome quite serious barriers.

The main barriers to social adaptation in modern society include:

· socio-psychological (beliefs, principles, habits, stereotypes of behavior and activity inherent in the subject);

· social (representing negative characteristics of the social environment in which the adaptation process takes place);

· sociocultural (value-normative characteristics of the subject).

These and many other barriers to social adaptation sometimes require significant efforts to overcome, which are beyond the power of one person. That is why the activities of social workers and other specialists in working with people necessarily include work on organizing and implementing processes of social adaptation of various groups of the population and each individual, regardless of the degree of his social well-being.

Types of social adaptation

Definition 2 Adaptation is controlled both from the outside and from the inside - either society influences a person and forces him to accept new rules, or the person himself realizes the need to enter this society in a specific capacity. In this regard, self-government becomes relevant when a person realizes the need for adaptation and begins to take action.

There are several types of adaptation, but social adaptation prevails over all others, since it is involved in all types of relationships, in various conditions.

1. Organizational adaptation is the prescription of management measures to a new member of the community, which will facilitate his assimilation of new orders and rules. This adaptation allows us to create conditions for a person that will contribute to the development of personality and its formation both in the professional and interpersonal spheres.
2. Economic adaptation is all those processes that are associated with financial and social interactions. These include working conditions, salary levels, features of providing for vulnerable groups of citizens, pensioners, the creation of preferential benefits, and so on. It is important for a person to understand what he can rely on in the new society and in what cases. Successful economic adaptation is an increase in the number of conscious citizens and employees of organizations.
3. Pedagogical adaptation is ensuring loyalty to the existing education system, understanding its functioning and requirements. As a result of this adaptation, education and training are invisibly intertwined and form a conscious personality who knows how to behave correctly in society, is ready to learn and is interested in personal growth.

Approaches to adaptation research

There are quite a large number of approaches to the study of adaptation as part of sociological knowledge.

One of the first scientists who outlined the need to study the phenomenon of adaptation through a sociological approach was Gabriel de Tarde. In the course of analyzing the mechanisms of imitation, he identified 3 social processes: adaptation, repetition and opposition.

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Thus, thanks to Tarde, adaptation acquires its own meaning.

Among domestic researchers, social adaptation is considered by B.A. Smirnov, F.B. Berezin, D.A. Andreeva. If we talk about foreign authors, then we can include L. Phillips (interactionist trend) and G. Hartmann (psychological trend).

Representatives of the neo-behaviouristic movement (G. Eysenck, R. Hankey) define adaptation as a state in which the needs of the individual and the requirements of the environment are fully satisfied without damage to both sides of the process.

For interactionists (the aforementioned L. Phillips), adaptability manifests itself in the form of two reactions to environmental influences:

1. In accepting and effectively responding to the social expectations that a person encounters according to his gender, age, social status and worldview;
2. Not only in accepting social norms, but also in flexibility, efficiency when faced with new and potentially dangerous situations, and the ability to give events the direction they desire.

Functions of social adaptation

Social adaptation makes it possible to mobilize members of the system, that is, to unite them in the struggle for common values. It encourages people to adopt new values ​​and rules, participate in the life of society, initiate and make important decisions in society due to the desire to become “one of their own” in new conditions.

Social adaptation is an opportunity to express oneself, despite the total restructuring of many areas. In fact, a person re-learns to coexist with other people, formulate his needs and views, express his opinion and at the same time act according to new rules and algorithms.

The main goal of adaptation is the ability of an individual to fit harmoniously into any framework without losing their skills, interests, potential and building a healthy role strategy.

Gradually, a person’s needs grow, he begins to feel more confident, acquires some ideas about what is happening and forms his own opinion on this matter. A person who has successfully completed adaptation ceases to feel that he is foreign and does not stop searching for his place.

The process of assimilation of new values ​​and cultural characteristics, revision of old views and mobility become one of the key “investments” in the development of personality when changing conditions. Therefore, researchers qualify adaptation as a positive phenomenon, which is based on personality development.

What is adaptability?

Adaptability is a broad concept and not just a human quality. Absolutely all people are adaptive. The only difference is how people adapt to living conditions and how successful these models and strategies that a person has chosen are. What is adaptability? This is the quality of a person who changes and varies in his worldview and behavior, depending on environmental conditions.

A person does not live in stable living conditions. The world is constantly changing. The laws of the state change, society becomes different, various unforeseen weather disasters may arise in nature, etc. Even moving a person to a new place of residence puts him in new conditions. The first time you go to kindergarten or school, the first time you come to work, where you need to meet new people. Even the first experience of leading a family life.

From birth, a person is forced to adapt to external living conditions. What it is? This is the formation of a certain worldview, behavior, way of thinking, which depends on the conditions in which a person finds himself. If a person is placed in different circumstances, then he will be forced to change in order to survive, achieve success and desired goals.

We can say that the ability to achieve set goals is a person’s ability to adapt to the conditions in which he lives or is located. These conditions are subject to change. If a person is able to quickly adapt to new circumstances and find ways of further behavior that will help him continue to achieve his goal, then he will be a successful person.

This is different from the behavior of an individual who does not achieve goals. The absence of what you want indicates either that a person does not want it too much, or that he simply does not adapt well to new living conditions.

• A person is most adaptive in childhood, when he still doesn’t know or know how to do anything. Everything he learns corresponds to the conditions in which he lives.
• A person becomes less adaptive over the years. The older a person is, the less adaptable he is. It has more to do with the mentality that older people are wise and experienced. In fact, people who have already reached their retirement age have developed skills that were more or less effective in the conditions in which they were developed. If times have changed, morals in society have changed, then the experience of the older generation may be meaningless and ineffective.

If you observe, older people quite often recall the years when they themselves were young, the prices that existed then, the mores in society that were observed then. If a person does not want to change and adapt to the conditions of the modern world, then he begins to remember the past, believing that life was better then. In fact, a person simply knows how to live in other circumstances of life, and not in those that exist now.

Adaptability is a conscious change in a person’s worldview, behavior and spiritual development. It requires intellectual flexibility, the ability to notice changes in society and quickly adapt to them. By “adapting” we do not mean living parasitically, but being able to change your behavior or thinking to new conditions so much that you can continue to have everything you want, achieve other goals and simply live for your own pleasure, despite the fact that circumstances have changed.

So, people with:

• Low adaptability.
• High adaptability. It allows a person not to be afraid to live in a constantly changing world, since he is always ready to change, reconsider his habits and views, live in a new way, learn, etc.

Adaptability occurs at three levels:

1. Biological – a person’s ability to monitor his health and find ways to preserve it in any conditions of the surrounding world.
2. Social – developing a person’s skills and abilities to exist with other people, analyze situations, change quickly, find ways out of conflict events, find a common language with people, etc.
3. Psychological – a person’s ability to maintain internal balance and balance, regardless of the surrounding living conditions.

Social adaptability

Adaptability at the social level is considered one of the main ones, since a person lives in a society in which he must integrate, which will lead to the development of:

• Self-awareness.
• Self-care skills.
• Self-control.
• Adequate behavior with people.

Usually a person adapts to society in two ways:

1. Self-isolates and transforms the small world to suit his own needs.
2. Enters society and begins to interact with people, establish a common language with them, maintain contacts, and become familiar with social traditions and rules.

A person constantly faces situations when he must adapt: ​​a change of place of residence, a change of educational institution, joining a new team of people, a change of job, etc. Each time a person must give up the usual and adapt to new conditions. Here he shows high or low adaptability.

Low adaptability is accompanied by stress when a person needs to devote a lot of time to getting used to new living conditions. A person is not able to quickly say goodbye to the past and come to terms with the new, present. Often a person wants to return to the past, because he does not even try to adapt to the unknown.

High adaptability helps a person to endure the need to get used to something new less stressfully. A person simply comes to terms with the fact that new circumstances inevitably arise and the need to get used to them, learn to live in them and achieve the desired internal and external balance.

If a person does not adapt to the social environment, then he develops the following behavior:

• Deviant - when he tries to contradict established laws and rules, to live in his own way, often causing harm or infringing on the freedom of other people.
• Pathological – when new patterns of behavior are formed that do not fit into socially acceptable ones, but seem strange, abnormal, and deviating from the healthy.

A person lives in a society that has its own traditions, foundations, rights and laws. Every person must adhere to them, know and observe them. There are strict distinctions between what is permitted and what is not permitted, what is accepted and what is unpleasant, what is bad and what is good. If a person wants to adapt, then he must know how society lives and comply with all acceptable forms of behavior and thinking.

Adaptability is a person’s conscious ability to adjust his psyche and ways of thinking to the patterns that exist in society in order to receive support, respect and understanding from the people around him. This does not imply the complete subordination of a person to society. Here we understand only changing oneself at those levels where it is required, while maintaining one’s “I”, desires, thoughts, views, etc.