Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

Henry Smith (1961) in a conclusive statement stated that a good adjustment is one that is both realistic and satisfactory. At least in the long run it reduces to a minimum the frustrations, tensions and anxieties which a person must endure. In other words, we can say that adjustment is a state of consistency arrived by a person whom we call “well adjusted”. Moreover, adjustment means achievement and which further means how efficiently a person can execute his duties in different circumstances. 

1. Needs: Needs are such internal and external conditions that are manifested in behaviour and continuous till the balance is established. Need is an experience of break-in balance deprivation of loss of something. Such experience produces tension and is continuous till the needs are satisfied. The satisfaction of needs gives relief to the individual. Needs are the personal experience of physical or mental deprivation e.g. the need of hunger is a loss of the quantity of food in the body and it leads to the behaviour of satisfaction of hunger. Need produces dissatisfaction or tension consequently the goal which reduces such tension or dissatisfaction is given priority. e.g., a Hungry person seeks food and an isolated person seeks company. If the hungry person gets company instead of food, he becomes disturbed. So the activities and concerning needs become goal-directed and selective.

2.  Frustration: Due to some forces, when the individual gets total failure in the satisfaction of needs, he feels a sense of defeat. Such a sense of defeat is frustration. The results of frustration are unsure. It makes individuals insulate, aimless and avoidance of reality or it is a challenge to his personality and prepares them to make more efforts for the achievement of goals. Kretch &Kruch, Field states that when the progress of goal achievement has interfered with and tension is not calmed, such a mental condition is frustration. Frustration affects personality and adjustment processes psychologists have proved it. A psychologist name Heal conducted an experiment on white rats the result revealed that frustration tolerance increases in some rats due to childhood experience and they could adjust with the environment the frustration tolerance increased with the increases in age. The following three ways are enough for proper adjustment in the environment:

Control the situations which produce frustration.

Avoid the situation that produces frustration.

Remove the frustration by behaviour

Interpersonal Relationships:

All the social relation involves the relationship between two or more persons. Our behaviour influences others and in turn, others behaviour affect our behaviour. We can understand the importance of interaction when there is a complete absence of interaction. There are five factors of interaction.

·                     Expression

·                     Feedback

·                     Social expectation

·                     Role behaviour

·                     Mutual satisfaction

The Knowledge of Ways of Adjustment:

When the personal adjustment becomes difficult, it demands insight/skill. As the individual becomes a trainee social and personal adjustment becomes satisfactory and developing. In personal adjustment, the individuals must learn to establish relations with others and satisfy his needs in the present situation. So it is necessary to have the knowledge of psychological approaches to adjustment, knowledge about self and others and understanding the problems of life.