Which term is best associated with the process of adapting to new social roles and expectations?

The term that best relates to the process of adapting to new social roles and expectations is resocialization. This term specifically refers to the process through which individuals undergo significant changes in their values, norms, and behaviors when they enter into new social environments or roles, often after experiencing a major life transition, such as moving to a new culture, entering a new stage of life, or joining an institution like the military.

Resocialization typically occurs when an individual is stripped of their old social identity and then taught new behaviors and norms, often in a structured setting. This distinguishes it from socialization, which generally involves the broader, lifelong process of learning cultural norms and values from childhood.

While transition and integration may also imply some degree of change or adaptation to social roles, they do not specifically focus on the comprehensive transformation of an individual’s social identity and values to fit new social expectations, which is the hallmark of resocialization. Thus, resocialization accurately captures the profound shift involved in adapting to new social roles and the expectations accompanying them.