maladjusted
Not fitting in
Maladjusted describes someone who has difficulty adapting to social norms or circumstances, typically due to psychological or emotional problems.
The term suggests a failure to fit in: a maladjusted teenager struggling at school, maladjusted to civilian life after years in combat.
It implies the person, not the environment, needs correction—an assumption that hasn't aged well.
One who doesn't fit in
- outcastShunned, rejected person
- alienatedMade distant or hostile
- estrangedSeparated by emotional distance
- isolatedSeparated from others
rejected · excluded · marginalized · ostracized · loner · outsider · nonconformist · deviant
Excessively anxious or obsessive
- disturbedEmotionally or mentally unsettled
- troubledExperiencing distress or anxiety
- unstableProne to sudden change
- dysfunctionalNot operating properly
unbalanced · abnormal · deviant · disordered · pathological · therapy · counseling · intervention
Connection or fondness
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- neglectFailure to provide care
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
upbringing · formative · adolescent · stunted · arrested · regression · immaturity · socialization
Troubled by uncertainty
- depressedPersistently sad, spiritless
- insecureLacking self-assurance
- troubledExperiencing distress or anxiety
- distressedSuffering emotional turmoil
unhappy · discontented · frustrated · resentful · bitter · angry · hostile · moody
Failing in duty
- incorrigibleImpossible to reform
- probationSupervised trial period
- correctionalAimed at rehabilitation
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
recidivism · truant · dropout · suspended · expelled · institutionalized · ward · juvenile
misfit
One who doesn't fit in
- outcastShunned, rejected person
- alienatedMade distant or hostile
- estrangedSeparated by emotional distance
isolated · rejected · excluded · marginalized · ostracized · loner · outsider · nonconformist · deviant · antisocial
neurotic
Excessively anxious or obsessive
- disturbedEmotionally or mentally unsettled
- troubledExperiencing distress or anxiety
- unstableProne to sudden change
dysfunctional · unbalanced · abnormal · deviant · disordered · pathological · therapy · counseling · intervention · coping
attachment
Connection or fondness
abuse · upbringing · formative · adolescent · stunted · arrested · regression · immaturity · socialization · parenting
anxious
Troubled by uncertainty
- depressedPersistently sad, spiritless
- insecureLacking self-assurance
- troubledExperiencing distress or anxiety
distressed · unhappy · discontented · frustrated · resentful · bitter · angry · hostile · moody · volatile
delinquent
Failing in duty
- incorrigibleImpossible to reform
- probationSupervised trial period
- correctionalAimed at rehabilitation
rehabilitation · recidivism · truant · dropout · suspended · expelled · institutionalized · ward · juvenile · at-risk
maladjustedwell-adjusted
Psychologically healthy and adaptive
adjusted · well-balanced · balanced · stable · adaptive
maladjustedwell-adjusted
Psychologically healthy and adaptive
normal · adapted · integrated · conforming · fitting in