Defining Adaptive and Maladaptive Behavior within a Model of Personal Competence

Abstract

Literature on adaptive and maladaptive behavior reveals significant voids in our understanding of these two constructs. Studies using measures of adaptive and maladaptive behavior to correlate with measures of other abilities suggests that the constructs of adaptive and maladaptive behavior are only partially-defined. Much of the existing research has been atheoretical in nature, focusing primarily on measurement issues. To address the limitations in existing research, a study was completed which investigated the relation between adaptive and maladaptive behavior and other important constructs in the context of a model of personal competence. Latent variable structural equation modeling methods were used to evaluate several alternative models of personal competence in three age-differentiated contemporary national samples. The results provided support for a model of personal competence which included the dimensions of physical competence, practical intelligence, conceptual intelligence, and emotional competence. Implications for research and practice are presented.