Maladaptive behavior is a type of behavior that is often used to reduce one's anxiety, but the result is dysfunctional and non-productive. For example, avoiding situations because you have unrealistic fears may initially reduce your anxiety, but it is non-productive in alleviating the actual problem in the long term. Maladaptivity is frequently used as an indicator of abnormality or mental dysfunction, since its assessment is relatively free from subjectivity. However, many behaviors considered moral can be apparently maladaptive, such as dissent or abstinence.
Adaptive behavior reflects an individual’s social and practical competence of daily skills to meet the demands of everyday living. Behaviors change throughout development, across life settings and cultures, and through social constructs and expectations of others. It is important to assess adaptive behavior in addition to IQ in order to determine how well an individual functions in daily life.