According to psychological dictionary,

Adjustment is “the variations and changes in behaviour

that are necessary to satisfy needs and meet demands,
so that one can establish a harmonious relationship
with the environment.”

If one fails to make these ‘variations and changes’, the

‘needs’ will not be satisfied, the ‘demands’ will not be
meet; thus he/she will not be able to ‘establish a
harmonious relationship with the environment’. Thus,
maladjustment is disharmony with one’s environment.
 A failure to meet the demands of society, such
as coping with problems and social relationships

 Faulty or inadequate adjustment

 Inability to adjust to the demands of interpersonal

relationships and the stresses of daily living.

 Inability to react successfully and satisfactorily to the

demands of one’s environment
•People who cannot overcome their troubles and
cannot compromise with them.
• Mental illness, emotional instability, mental
disorders, emotional disorders, psychological
disorders-all these terms denote one and the
same thing.
• He may be swayed this may or that by wind or
weather but he always returns to an even keel.
• Most normal people have to face frustrations;
conflicts and such situations as may cause concern,
anxiety and nervousness at times.
•They are able to overcome their troubles and adjust
themselves to such situations.
•A normal person may be emotionally hyperactive at
times and he may be so depressed that he can hardly
live with himself.
•A well-adjusted person maintains a favorable
orientation towards reality "His life is like ship riding
the waves.
Physique and appearance
The physique and appearance play an important role
in the social development of the child. Comments by
others affected the behavior of ugly, weak, handicapped
children.
Poverty
Parents of the children from low
socio-economic strata are not in a
position to satisfy the essential needs
of their children.
 Emotional shock
Children who experience emotional shock
such as death, accident, riots, flood etc. may
manifest maladjustment in their behavior.
Parental attitudes
Both over protection and rejection adversely affect
adjustment. The over protected child becomes extremely
dependent on others. He becomes egocentric, demanding
and self-opinionated. Over protection of the child may
lead to lack of responsibility, lack of socialization,
aggressiveness and selfishness. The child who is denied
due love and care by parents, develop a feeling of
unwantedness, rejection and persecution.
Then he will engage in socialized diligences
like gang activities, stealing and truancy.
Social factors
Lack of co-ordination between a person’s motives of other
members of the society, and between personal values
social values leads to maladjustment. Lack of employment
opportunity makes the adolescent restless, anxious and
sometimes rebellious against society out of frustration
Broken home
Children from broken home are
found open more maladjusted and
emotionally disturbed than children
from stable homes; because they do
not get the affection, love, sympathy
and security.
 School factors
Maladjusted teacher
Inadequate curriculum
Lack of co- curricular activities
Defective examination system
Attitude of teacher
Physical symptoms
Stuttering, stammering, scratching head, facial
twitching, biting nails, rocking feet, restlessness,
drumming with fingers.
Behavioural symptoms
Aggression, lying, bullying, stealing, truancy,
wandering, poor school achievement, frequent
absence, hyperactivity, withdrawal tendencies,
negativism, and sex disturbances.
Emotional symptoms
• Excessive worry, fear, inferiority, hatred,
extreme timidity, tempers tantrum, persistent
anxiety, conflicts and tension.
MALADJUSTED CHILD ARE ...
Carelessness, Cheating, Cruelty, Destroying material,
Disobedience, Domineering, Dreams, Fearfulness,
Heterosexuality, Imaginative lying, Impertinence,
Inquisitiveness, Obscene notes, Restlessness, Shyness,
Smoking, Stealing, Stubbornness, Suggestible
sullenness, Suspiciousness, Temper , Thoughtlessness,
Truancy, Unhappiness, Unreliability, Unsocial
withdrawing, Untruthfulness, Whispering.