Fight or Flight (or Freeze!)

 You've probably heard the expression 'fight or flight' at some time or another - it's probably one of the most commonly used psychobabble terms around today. But what does it really mean?

Fight or flight response is common to most complex animals. It serves a vital survival function - allowing the animal (or person) to react against threats in a way that will keep them safe.

Basically it is a response to stress. Sometimes, when faced with a threat the animal will flee as fast as possible - this is the flight repsonse. Sometimes, the animal will instead react by freezing, or preparing to fight - this is the fight response. Both are triggered by the body releasing a sudden burst of neurotransmitter activity, through the sympathetic nervous system to help the body regulate stress. Fight or flight was first proposed as a theory by Walter Cannon.

In prehistoric times, the fight response would have taken the form of very aggressive, combative behaviour from the human, perhaps when confronted by a predator. The flight response would have helped the human to flee from any predator or other threat.

Nowadays, the same response still happens to people in the face of stressful situations. The fight response maybe much the same, but perhaps including more angry or argumentative behaviour as well as physical aggression. The flight response may now include behaviours such as social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television watching.

There are a good number of books available on fight or flight responses to stress. Some authors suggest that you can alter how you respond to stressful situations. Flight of Fight is a good read if you want to find out more. Fight or flight has been linked to some psychological states that people often seek professional help in overcoming, including panic attacks, agrophobia, and different forms of anxiety. Many self-help books and DVDs are available dealing with these issues (See Fight or Flight by Ronald Rapee as an example).