Adaptive Adult:

The adaptive adult is an informal or derivative term describing adult functioning (see Functional Adult) that appears competent and mature but is still organized around early adaptation to others’ expectations. Rather than operating from the adult ego state as defined in Eric Berne’s transactional analysis, the adaptive adult is often driven by the adaptive child —prioritizing approval, harmony, or self-protection over present-moment truth and choice. The term is descriptive rather than diagnostic and is not part of classical TA theory.