Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Marked by faulty or inadequate adaptation.
  • adjective Not assisting or promoting adaptation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Showing inadequate or faulty adaptation to a new situation

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective showing faulty adaptation

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Anecdotally we found no supporting evidence in the literature, some pain theorists view swearing as a sign of ‘pain-related catastrophising’, which may be defined as a maladaptive response in which negative and unhelpful thoughts and ideas are brought to bear when pain is experienced.

    Oh $#*%! Cursing can reduce pain perception 2009

  • Anecdotally (we found no supporting evidence in the literature), some pain theorists view swearing as a sign of ‘pain-related catastrophising’, which may be defined as a maladaptive response in which negative and unhelpful thoughts and ideas are brought to bear when pain is experienced.

    Oh $#*%! Cursing can reduce pain perception 2009

  • An article on Lesswrong. com attempts to tease apart the varying perspectives that lead to conflict over whether or not various behaviors should be classified as maladaptive, and whether medical intervention is a desirable means of solving problematic behavior.

    MetaFilter Human Flesh 2010

  • This kind of maladaptive feature would be hard to explain if we had been designed by an all-wise creator, but it is to be expected if structures change their functions in the course of evolution.

    Tangled innards of a snail or how we know the intelligent designer was a klutz AYDIN 2008

  • This kind of maladaptive feature would be hard to explain if we had been designed by an all-wise creator, but it is to be expected if structures change their functions in the course of evolution.

    Archive 2008-08-01 AYDIN 2008

  • And they say their study clearly suggests too much Internet use could be linked to "maladaptive" behaviors.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • And they say their study clearly suggests too much Internet use could be linked to "maladaptive" behaviors.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • And they say their study clearly suggests too much Internet use could be linked to "maladaptive" behaviors.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • And they say their study clearly suggests too much Internet use could be linked to "maladaptive" behaviors.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • And they say their study clearly suggests too much Internet use could be linked to "maladaptive" behaviors.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • Psychologists call repetitive actions that interfere with an individual’s ability to cope with daily life “maladaptive behaviours”.

    Daydreaming has a dark side – is your fantasising holding you back? #author.fullName} 2024

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