Fight or Flight response

• 'Fight or flight' is an evolved response to stress- it has been adapted over generations to ensure our survival.
• The fight or flight response is a biological system to provide the body with the required energy to flee or attack the environmental stressor we are facing.
• The fight or flight response means an increase in the demands for blood, glucose and oxygen.
• Fight or Flight Response Evaluation- Weakness:

  • Gender differences not accounted for- Taylor et al (2000) states that females have different reaction to stress as fleeting too readily would risk the safety of any offspring. Concluded that women have evolved a 'tend or befriend' response (ie tend= look after young or befriend= form alliances with other women for protection)Research on female rats indicates exposure to stress reduces flight impulse, possibly through release of hormone oxytocin- indicates f or f theory is over-simplistic & gender bias in explaining human response to stress.
• Fight or Flight Response Evaluation- Weakness:

  • Fight or flight doesn't give the whole story; Gray states that actually before the fight/ flight response, we have a 'freeze' response, which is essentially a 'stop, look, listen' response to enable us to be hyper- vigilant & make an appropriate decision on how to best survive the situation.
  • Indicates that the theory of fight or flight overlooks other responses to stress.
• Fight or Flight Response Evaluation- Weakness:

  • Not all types of stress response can be categorised as 'fight or flight'. Von Dawns et al (2012) noticed that acute stress can actually increase friendly, cooperative behaviour. For example, following the attacks on the twin towers in NY, there were lots of examples of helping.
  • It makes evolutionary sense that we protect others in our groups- as this has helped our species thrive. This indicates that the fight or flight theory overlooks other responses to stress.