Adjustment Mechanism in Psychology

“Any habitual strategy of overcoming blockages, accomplishing goals, fulfilling reasons, easing disappointments, and maintaining equilibrium” may be used to define an adjustment mechanism. An adjustment mechanism is a tool used by people to lower their stress or anxiety so they may better adapt to their surroundings. It aids in his mental health recovery. A youngster may be protected from his frustrating situations if he employs particular self-adaptive, self-defensive strategies to manage his difficulties or deal with contradictory situations. We refer to these as defensive mechanisms.

Fantasy, Compensation, Identification & Projection

Compensation adjustment process

The technique of compensation is used when a person tries to make up for a deficit by focusing his attention on parts of his personality where there is none. For instance, a student with poor academic performance may excel in extracurricular activities such as athletics.

Projection

As a way to minimise our sense of shame or incompetence, we frequently blame others for our own failings, desires, or moral flaws. A person with a tendency to lie, for instance, would assert that everyone in the universe is a liar.

Distortion, or transfers, is a specific type of projection. For instance, a student nurse who has been reprimanded by her learning support for dereliction of duty may feel extremely furious about it and, rather than venting her rage on the tutor-sister, may act aggressively against a patient who did nothing to offend her.

Identification adjustment

It is a method for adjustment that enables one to get gratification from the accomplishments of other individuals, social groupings, or organizations. For instance, boys and girls frequently associate with their respective moms and dads. Another illustration is the way in which pupils frequently align their behavior with that of their preferred teacher.

Another illustration is when we connect with individuals who do have those traits and have accomplished those goals when we lack those attributes and are unable to achieve those goals. Hero worship is a sort of identification in which we associate ourselves with a fictional, dramatic, or even real-life hero.

As we become older, we start to identify ourselves with the groups, organizations, institutions, and schools we attend. Thus, identification may serve as a desirable defense mechanism, but if it is used excessively, one may wind up merely basking in the success and glory of others rather than putting out any real effort to acquire these things for ourselves.

Fantasy or day-dreaming adjustment

Daydreaming resembles withdrawal. Many of us turn to it when faced with difficult challenges in life. We retreat into a realm of fantasy where we can accomplish our goals without having to worry about failing, rather than attempting to handle those difficulties in a practical way.

Without a doubt, daydreaming is a nice activity. We could use it to get away from the unpleasantness of daily life. We could feel more at ease and get fresh insights as a result. Excessive daydreaming, meanwhile, can cause a person to lose touch with reality and puts them at risk of developing psychotic conditions.