Adaptation is the underlying
principle that links the four
metaparadigm concepts—person,
health, environment, and nursing—together.
According to Roy and Andrews
(1999), coping mechanisms assist the
person in adapting to environmental
changes. These coping mechanisms can
be innate (genetically determined and
automatically processed) or acquired (a
deliberate, learned response) (Roy &
Andrews, 1999). These are further categorized
into the regulator and cognator
subsystems.