fight or flight

• Fight or flight response


  Biological mechanism involving the role of adrenaline

  
• It is possible to be given an essay question on the fight or flight response
• Outline and evaluate the fight or flight response

  1. Outline

  2. Evaluate
• You need to be able to evaluate this biological mechanism
• Adrenaline


  Causes physiological changes in the body
• Physiological changes caused by adrenaline

  • Increased heart rate
  • Increased breathing rate
  • Pupil dilation
  • Sweat production
  • Reduction of non-essential functions

  
• Reason for physiological changes

  To increase blood flow, oxygen intake, vision, temperature regulation, and energy for essential functions
• Fight or flight explanation

  Limited and doesn't fully explain the complex cognitive and biological factors that underpin the human response to stress/danger
• Fight or flight explanation

  Limited in its application to females
• Tend and befriend response


  Females are more likely to protect their offspring and form alliances with other women, rather than fight an adversary or flee
• Fight or flight explanation

  Can have a negative/detrimental effect on health, especially in modern day life
• The fight or flight response may have been a useful survival mechanism for our ancestors who faced genuinely life-threatening situations, but modern day life rarely requires such an intense biological response
• The activation of the fight or flight response can increase blood pressure and cause damage to blood vessels and contribute to heart disease, suggesting it is a maladaptive response in modern-day life