Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adaptation

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Adolescence

  • 171 Accesses

Adaptation involves fitting or confirming to an environment. Adaptation generally implicates the assumption that it is advantageous; thus, “maladjustment” results from unsuccessful adaptation and “adjustment” results from successful adaption. Importantly, adaptation typically is viewed as involving a combination of changing the self as well as altering the external environment.

The term gained renewed popularity with the rise of modern sociobiology. Sociobiology examined both species level and individual explanations for behaviors (see Wilson 1975). Species level types of explanations (“ultimate explanation”) involve the function (or adaptation) that a specific behavior serves and the evolutionary process (or phylogeny) that resulted in the behavior or trait’s functionality. Individual level types of explanations focus on the development of the individual (ontogeny) and the proximate mechanisms involved in the behavior or trait (such as specific hormones). Sociobiologists deem...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 2,050.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Chuang, S. S., & Gielen, U. P. (2009). Understanding immigrant families from around the world: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 275–278.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hirschi, A., & Vondracek, F. W. (2009). Adaptation of career goals to self and opportunities in early adolescence. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75, 120–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, P., Koro-Ljungberg, M. E., & Bussing, R. (2009). Analysis of critical incidents and shifting perspectives: Transitions in illness careers among adolescents with ADHD. Qualitative Health Research, 19, 352–365.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O. (1975). Sociobiology: The new synthesis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

Authors
  1. Roger J. R. Levesque
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roger J. R. Levesque .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Levesque, R.J.R. (2011). Adaptation. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_485

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_485

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1694-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1695-2

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation