Maladaptive Behavior

The types of maladaptive behaviors listed below can develop into a pattern of self-destruction. Understanding the maladaptive behavior examples will help you to manage your maladaptive behavior and aid in your efforts to change them to more pleasant adaptive behaviors.

Avoidance

Oftentimes, avoiding danger or disconnecting from an unpleasant situation is the best course of action, especially in situations over which you seem to have no control. It is maladaptive behavior to repeatedly avoid doing something that you should.

Suppose you suffer from social anxiety, but your profession demands you to regularly interact with others. If you often fake illness or go through the back door after five minutes, you are not addressing the issue.

Adaptive behaviors include seeking assistance for social anxiety, attempting exposure therapy, and finding a more suited occupation.

Other avoidance behaviors consist of:

• Avoiding eye contact during a chat
• Speaking minimally or not at all.
• Not asking for clarification when you need it

Withdrawal

There is nothing wrong with preferring isolation to social activity. There is also nothing inappropriate with leaving a party in order to avoid running into an ex.

When avoidance is your primary method, you limit social interaction. Think of the college student who avoids joining clubs and meeting new people by playing video games. These activities serve as a diversion and provide momentary anxiety relief.

Avoidance does little to increase coping abilities over time. Isolation results from the cessation of invitations and the resulting increase in maladaptive anxiety.

Passive-aggressiveness

Passive aggression is the expression of hostile emotions indirectly rather than explicitly. You speak one thing but mean something else. Your behaviors reflect your genuine emotions.

For instance, your partner desires to remain at home and quits your dinner reservation. You have been anticipating it for weeks, so this disappoints you. Instead of expressing dissatisfaction, you smile and claim that everything is good.

You later bang doors and rage about unrelated matters. You are angry, but you’ve made little progress in communicating your feelings.

Self-harm

Some people respond to stressful situations by inflicting harm on themselves, such as:

• By scratching, burning, or cutting the skin
• Picking at wounds or scabs
• Removing eyelashes, hair, and/or eyebrows
• Self-inflicted injury or head banging
• Unwillingness to take prescribed drugs

This could provide momentary respite, but it will exacerbate the condition and may harm your health.

Anger

Anger is a typical feeling. Anger that inspires productive action is beneficial.

It is useless if you are frequently upset or prone to angry outbursts. Angry outbursts do not fix things. It hinders your capacity to communicate successfully and alienates people.

This category would encompass a child’s anger tantrum. The majority of children eventually realize that there are better approaches to get the intended outcome.

Substance Abuse

Substance usage, whether it involves alcohol, prescribed medicines, or illegal drugs, can be a sort of avoidance behavior. It is problematic when it is used to alleviate anxiety or to numb feelings.

Any refuge from reality would be at best transient. This behavior can result in physical and emotional dependency, resulting in an entirely new set of issues.

Maladaptive daydreaming

Usually, daydreaming is a beneficial activity. It liberates the mind and aids in problem-solving. It is believed that the average person daydreams hundreds of times per day.

Maladaptive daydreaming is engaging in extended fantasy in lieu of human engagement or real-world participation. These daydreams can stretch for hours and include narratives and characters that keep you coming back for more. Then, they can prevent you from facing the truth.