adaptation
Adaptation is the art of letting a fear of change contort oneself, molding identity to match others' values until one is unrecognizably bent. It responds to society's whims, melting into a flock like a sheep reading the room. Celebrated as a survival strategy, it is in truth a clearance sale of self-respect. Ultimately, it embodies the paradox of demanding everyone else adapt while fiercely resisting change itself.