What is adaptive capacity?

“Adapt or die.” Many of us have grown up with that mantra, with the idea that when faced with environmental challenges one has to react with force and that reaction, that movement, is almost always painful. If we do not do so, we are left behind, relegated, almost doomed to involution. However… Is this how this mechanism works? Even more… What really is adaptive capacity?

Let’s admit it, Nothing is as decisive right now as adapting to the changes we are experiencing, to uncertainty, to variability… We are almost forced to face these realities, while the lack of certainties makes us view these dimensions with concern. The fact that we feel this way is not coincidental. The brain does not like change, because any variation in the environment is perceived as a threat.

However, There is an indisputable fact: life is change. As Heraclitus once said: no one touches the same river twice, because it is not the same river and it is not the same person. Knowing how to adapt to this constant flow is key to health and well-being. This explains why in recent years the field of psychology has focused with special interest on this area: that of human adaptation. Let’s dig deeper.

What is adaptive capacity? Keys to understand it

“Only those who adapt best to change survive,” said Charles Darwin.. Somehow, we have long internalized this classic idea. Although in reality, today, the problem of surviving or not hardly has any significance. There are many people who “stay alive” despite being inflexible, there are many who continue breathing despite adopting a rigid and immutable psychological perspective.

Currently, No one dies because they do not adapt to the demands that surround them, but we do suffer and have a higher risk of suffering from depressive and anxiety disorders.. This occurs because maladjustment brings suffering, because those who refuse to change become frustrated and angry, since reality does not respond to their desires.

Likewise, this dimension does not only apply to human beings. Companies and the social fabric know and understand that to progress it is necessary to invest in three dimensions: learning capacity (learnability), adaptability (liquidity) and mobility (mobility). Adapting is the only mechanism that allows us to progress in every sense.

Align emotions, thoughts and behaviors

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines this concept very simply: is the ability to provide appropriate responses to changing situations. This requires, above all, being able to vary our behaviors, thoughts and emotions.

It is important, above all, to consider one aspect. If we ask someone what adaptability is, they may answer that it is the ability to vary our behavior to survive. This definition is not complete. We know that adapting requires making a change, but This variation is not only based on behavior, it requires creating new approaches to thinking and reactivating certain emotions.

We must not forget that without an adequate state of mind, new ideas will not germinate and without innovative, confident and courageous thoughts, appropriate behaviors will not appear.

Adaptation does not mean giving up everything you are or love

Often, We can tell ourselves that nothing can be better than a clean slate. There are those who even assume that adapting or dying necessarily involves putting aside everything we are, to give shape to a new version. Now, it is necessary to deactivate many of those popular ideas that, in the long run, have little logic or psychology.

You don’t have to start from scratch, you have to start from your own experience.. We cannot take off one skin to put on another, it would go against our essences, learnings, values ​​and identities. If we ask ourselves what adaptation is, one of the answers is to detect those skills that have worked for us so far in life, put aside those that do not work and learn new ones.

Something like this requires an adequate exercise of introspection. Maybe one of your virtues is self-confidence. You must keep this. However, you may lack transcendence, think more creatively, know how to sense opportunities in the midst of the storm. All of these are new approaches that are worth developing, but maintaining, of course, the essences.

The ability to adapt and tolerance to uncertainty

Andrew J. Martin, professor of educational psychology at the University of Sydney in Australia, has been studying the field of human adaptation for many years. In one of his investigations, he points out that if we educated our students in tolerance for uncertainty and adaptability to changes, we would not see their academic results improve.

Being able to accept the uncertain, to process it without anxiety, fear or resistance, facilitates not only better adaptation. It is the key to seeing opportunities in the midst of difficulty.

Mental flexibility does not hurt, it enriches

The ability to adapt does not hurt, because those who adapt do not lose or give up.. What it does is exercise that emotional, cognitive and emotional flexibility that adjusts to the new reality with better resources, balance and intuition. What hurts is inflexibility, the rigid mind that opposes changes and fights with them in a fruitless way.

Boosting adaptability in children

On a general level, it is important for children to recognize the cycle of adaptability and know its importance. This could involve:

Teach the child to recognize change and uncertainty in life. Encourage the child to adjust his or her thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Point out the benefits of these adjustments in thinking, action, and emotion. Help the child continue to implement these adjustments. while navigating future changes.

It is essential that children are helped to understand the three dimensions in which these adjustments can be made: cognitive, behavioral and emotional. They are then encouraged to identify specific ways in which they could adapt each of these dimensions to successfully navigate new and unfamiliar situations that arise. Let’s see how to make these modifications, according to Professor Andrew Martin.

Cognitive adjustments

Thinking about a new or uncertain situation in a different way (for example, encouraging the child to think about the opportunities available in this new situation). Adjusting assumptions or expectations (for example, inviting the child to see the positive aspects of the change, instead of seeing change as a bad thing).

Behavioral adjustments

Seek new information to resolve a new situation (for example, encourage the child to ask a teacher for additional reading or websites for a new topic). Take a different course of action or develop a new schedule (for example, show the child child how to reorganize his or her after-school routine following the announcement of an unanticipated test or assignment).

emotional adjustments

Minimize disappointment, frustration, fear, or anger when circumstances change (for example, helping the child minimize disappointment if a fun activity is canceled). Build on fun, enjoyment, and curiosity when circumstances change (for example example, encouraging the child to focus on the stimulating and fun aspects of a new activity). Minimizing excitement in some situations (for example, encouraging the child to keep the “head feeling” if he or she is in a winning position on a task or event).

To conclude, now more than ever, let’s refine these skills that we all carry within us a little more. It is time to develop them much more and make them our allies..

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