welladjusted

Well-adjusted is a descriptive term used in psychology, education, and everyday language to denote someone who functions adaptively across emotional, social, and behavioral domains. A well-adjusted person typically demonstrates stable mood, effective emotion regulation, constructive relationships, and the ability to cope with life changes and stress without excessive distress or maladaptive patterns. It is not a diagnosis or the absence of problems, but a description of functional adaptation within a given context.

In developmental and clinical settings, well-adjusted individuals show resilience, appropriate autonomy, and satisfactory performance at school or work, while maintaining supportive connections with family and peers. The concept is often applied to children and adolescents to describe positive adjustment to school, peers, and family life; in adults, it may refer to stable functioning in work, relationships, and self-care. Factors contributing to well-adjustment include secure attachment, supportive caregiving, stable environments, healthy coping strategies, and opportunities for skill development. Conversely, persistent exposure to chronic stress, trauma, or mental illness can impede adjustment.

Assessment of well-adjustment relies on observations and reports from multiple sources and may vary across cultures and contexts. There is no universal criterion or standardized cutoff, and judgments can reflect normative expectations rather than objective measures; cultural norms influence what constitutes appropriate adjustment.

Related concepts include adaptive functioning, resilience, psychosocial adjustment, and social-emotional development. Well-adjustment is distinct from clinical disorders; for example, adjustment disorders are formal diagnoses that describe maladaptive responses to identifiable stressors.