Alloplastic adaptation

Alloplastic adaptation (from the Greek word allos) is a form of adaptation where the subject attempts to change the environment when faced with a difficult situation.

The concept of alloplastic adaptation was developed by Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, and Franz Alexander. They proposed that when an individual was presented with a stressful situation, he could react in one of two ways:
* Autoplastic adaptation: The subject tries to change himself, i.e. the internal environment.
* Alloplastic adaptation: The subject tries to change the situation, i.e. the external environment.

Criminality, mental illness and activism can all be classified as categories of alloplastic adaptation.