Adjustment (psychology)
In psychology, adjustment is that condition of a person who is able to adapt to changes in their physical, occupational, and social environment. In other words, adjustment refers to the behavioural process of balancing conflicting needs, or needs challenged by obstacles in the environment. Humans and animals regularly adjust to their environment. For example, when they are stimulated by their physiological state to seek food, they eat (if possible) to reduce their hunger and thus adjust to the hunger stimulus. Adjustment disorder occurs when there is an inability to make a normal adjustment to some need or stress  in the environment. Successful adjustment is crucial to having a high quality of life. Those who are unable to adjust well are more likely to have clinical anxiety or depression, as well as experience feelings of hopelessness, anhedonia, difficulty concentrating, sleeping problems and reckless behavior. When evaluating adjustment it can be considered in two ways: adjustment as an achievement and adjustment as a process. Adjustment as an achievement. This model addresses adjustment at a specific moment in time, considering an individual's adjustment to one challenge, not to all challenges they have faced. Successfully adjusting to one scenario can be  independent of struggling to adjust to another, unrelated scenario. An example of this type of approach is observing a poor student beginning to study during recess because they don't have a home environment where they can effectively study. Beginning to study at another time would be considered adequately adjusting to this scenario, but does not consider the other ways it may impact their life (i.e.: inhibiting social interactions with peers.) Adjustment as a process. The 'adjustment as a process' theory portrays that, since the moment we are born, humans are in a constant state of adjustment. Since we exist  in a state of constant, oftentimes rapid change, it follows that we cannot break these changes down into separate, unrelated challenges. This method of consideration asserts there is no way to 'adjust successfully', because something will always be about to change and prompt further adjustment. This approach views all life events as inextricable from some form of adjustment. Successful adjustment. Successful adjustment is also called being 'well adjusted' and is critical to mental health. Colloquially, being well-adjusted is defined as a person who "is reasonable and has good judgement...their behavior is not difficult or strange." It is  important to remember that adjustment is a continuum, not a simple dichotomy; people can fluctuate and be adept at adjusting in different circumstances. In general, a person that is well-adjusted will have the following characteristics: These more detailed characteristics listed above can be synthesized into these main criteria: An individual that doesn't have these characteristics or is not consistently meeting the listed criteria could be diagnosed with an Adjustment disorder. If diagnosed, they would likely be treated with psychotherapy to help them develop these skills and abilities. Ways to encourage these healthy adjustment mechanisms may include: Examples of  adjustment methods. Many methods used for adjustment are also defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms can be either adaptive or maladaptive depending on the context and the use. In a 2003 study, researchers found that elementary school children that utilized appropriate defense mechanisms had higher performance in academic, social, conduct, and athletic domains.