Maladaptatie

Maladaptatie refers to a trait or behavior that is no longer beneficial or has become detrimental to an organism's survival or reproduction in its current environment. While a trait might have been adaptive in the past, changes in the environment can render it maladaptive. This concept is primarily discussed in evolutionary biology and psychology.

In evolutionary terms, maladaptive traits can arise due to several reasons. One is environmental change; a climate shift or the introduction of a new predator can make a formerly useful adaptation a liability. For instance, a thick fur coat that was advantageous in a cold climate becomes maladaptive if the climate warms significantly. Another cause is genetic drift, where neutral or even slightly detrimental alleles can become more common in a population by chance, especially in small populations. Furthermore, what appears maladaptive at the individual level might be a byproduct of a trait that is adaptive at another level, or it could be a trade-off where the benefits of a trait outweigh its costs in certain contexts, but not universally.

In psychology, maladaptive behaviors are those that interfere with an individual's ability to adjust to particular situations or to achieve their goals. These are often learned responses that may have been adaptive in a specific past context but are now causing distress or dysfunction. Examples include avoidance behaviors that prevent someone from confronting a phobia but also limit their life experiences, or unhealthy coping mechanisms developed in response to trauma that persist long after the threat has passed. The distinction between adaptive and maladaptive behavior is often context-dependent.