[lyka_candelario]

The fight or flight response is triggered during stressful situations. In other references, they include another “F” which is Freeze. Other terms associated with such are acute stress response and hyperarousal.

Examples of stressful situations could be an attack, a perceived dangerous event, or threat to life. Walter Bradford Cannon is known to have first described his theory about such. He asserted that animals respond to threats by activating its Sympathetic Nervous System, or more particularly the adrenal medulla, releasing catecholamines. It is said to be the first phase of response in the general adaptation syndrome.

Catecholamines are hormones responsible for exciting the body as preparation for a physical reaction. These hormones are known as epinephrine or adrenaline and norepinephrine or noradrenaline. Such bodily reactions would be:

• Pupil dilation
• Decrease of peripheral vision (tunnel vision)
• Auditory exclusion
• Decreased salivation
• Flushing or paling
• Increased heartbeat
• Acceleration of lung action
• Slowing down of digestion
• Muscle blood vessel dilation
• Relaxation of bladder

Animals respond to stress and threats in a variety of interesting ways. Rodents, for example, may choose to escape when threatened but shall attack when being cornered. Some animals may opt not to move or even play dead hoping their predator may lose interest on them. Even camouflaging of cold-blooded animals is also a way of flight or fight response.

Not all animals respond immediately with fight or flight. Some may spend moments of heightened awareness first by comprehending signals of the ‘attacker’ or surroundings.

Gender also plays a role in such responses. The male species tend to respond to a threat with aggression (fight), while the female ones will most probably escape (flight). For some instances, females may even tend to turn to other sources of help or try to neutralize the situation, which is commonly referred to as ‘tend and befriend’. This however may be different for mothers who would need to protect their young.

Today, psychologists believe that such responses are actually seen in subtler ways. Fight reactions can be observed as anger, or being in a state of argumentativeness. Flight, on the other hand, can manifest through withdrawing socially, substance abuse, or actual television viewing.