Fight/Flight

• P - Gender Bias


  Research into the fight or flight response is primarily conducted on male animals.
• E - Gender Bias


  The SRY gene promotes aggression, which is only present on the male Y chromosome so it may prime the fight/flight response in males through the release of adrenaline and increased blood flow to organs.

  
  

  Females don't have this gene, and along with the action of oestrogen and oxytocin, this may prevent the fight or flight response to stress.
• E - Gender Bias


  Moreover, research has suggested that females response to stress is more appropriately characterised by 'tend and befriend' behaviours.

  
  

  According to Taylor et al, women are more likely to protect their offspring (tend) and form alliances with other women (befriend)

  
  

  Women's responses may have evolved in the context of being the primary carer of children - where the fight or flight response would put their offspring in danger.
• L - Gender Bias

  Therefore, the theory of fight or flight is at risk of beta bias as it ignores / minimises real differences between men and women.

  
  

  Early androcentric§ research assumed the findings could equally apply to females (assuming females responses in the same way to males), until Taylor provided evidence of a tend and befriend response.
• P - Doesn't give a full account of the stress response


  The fight or flight response has been criticised for not giving a full account fo all aspects of the stress response.
• E - Doesn't give a full account of the stress response

  Gray - proposes that before confronting or fleeing, most animals (including humans) display the freeze response.
• E - Doesn't give a full account of the stress response


  Freezing means the animal is hyper-vigilant and alert to any signs of danger. This has an adaptive advantage as new information allows for the best possible response to be made for that particular threat.
• L - Doesn't give a full account of the stress response


  Therefore, the fight or flight system is less appropriate as it neglects other aspects of the stress response.
• P - Maladaptive response

  While the fight/flight response may have been a useful survival mechanism for our ancestors, who faced genuinely life-threatening situations, modern day life rarely requires such an intense biological response.
• E - Maladaptive response


  Nevertheless, the stressors of modern day life can repeatedly activate the fight / flight response, which can have a negative consequence on our health.
• E - Maladaptive response


  Sometimes, people who face a lot of stress and so continually activate their sympathetic nervous system, continually increase their blood pressure which can cause damage to their blood vessels and cause heart disease.
• L - Maladaptive response


  This suggests that the fight / flight response is a maladaptive response to everyday life.
• What is the fight/flight response?

  Immediate reaction to perceived danger or threat aimed at escaping potential harm.

  
  

  Survival response - involves changes in the nervous system and the secretion of hormones which are necessary to sustain arousal.
• 1

  A person enters a stressful/dangerous situation
• 2

  Amygdala is activated.

  
  

  The amygdala is part of the limbic system, it responds to sensory input and connects this input with the emotions associated with the fight/flight response (fear, anger).

  
  

  The amygdala sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus.
• 3

  The hypothalamus coordinates a response and triggers increased levels of activity in the sympathetic branch of the ANS. Stress triggers the sympathetic nervous system to release hormones as a survival instinct. These hormones are produced by the SAM axis and the HPA axis.
• 4

  The SAM axis (sympathetic-adrenal-medullary) axis stimulates the release of adrenaline and noradreline from the adrenal medulla into the bloodstream. These hormones work in tandem to produce the systems known as the ’fight/flight’.
• 5

  Adrenaline causes a number of physiological changes to prepare the body for fight or flight - such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol is also released from the adrenal glands (adrenal cortex) which increases blood glucose levels and diverts the glucose to the muscles by suppressing systems deemed less important in that present situation (including the immune system)
• Physiological changes - increased heart rate


  Increase blood flow to organs and increase movement of adrenaline around the body.
• Physiological changes - increased breathing rate


  Increase oxygen intake - needed to fuel muscle action.
• Physiological changes - Pupil dilation


  Increase light into eye - enhance vision, especially in the dark
• Physiological changes - sweat production


  Regulate temperature
• Physiological changes - reduce non-essential functions


  eg: digestion, urination

  
  

  Increase energy for functions which are essential for survival: eg, the use of muscles to fight or flee.
• 6

  Once the threat has passed, the body returns to its normal, 'resting', parasympathetic state. As the hypothalamus triggers less activity in the sympathetic branch and more activity in the parasympathetic branch.

  
  

  This slows down breathing and heart rate, and reduces blood pressure, functions like digestion which were slowed down are now started up again.

  
  

  'rest and digestion
• P - Gender bias 


  Research into the fight/flight response is primarily conducted on male animals.
• E - Gender bias


  The SRY gene promoted aggression, which is only present on the male Y chromosome, so this gene may prime the fight/flight response in males through the release of adrenaline and increased blood flow to organs.

  Females don’t have this gene, and along with the action of oestrogen and oxytocin, this may prevent the fight / flight response to stress.
• E - Gender bias 


  Moreover, research has suggested that females response to stress (perhaps biologically predisposed due to these hormones) is more appropriately characterised by ‘tend and befriend’ behaviours.
• ‘Tend and befriend’


  According to Taylor et al, women are more likely to protect their offspring (tend) and form alliances with other women (befriend)

  Women’s responses may have evolved in the context of being the primary carer of children’s - where the fight / flight response would put their offspring in danger.
• L - Gender bias


  Early androcentic research assumed findings could equally apply to females - which is an example of beta bias, as it ignores real differences in how females and males respond to perceived threats / danger. Until, Taylor et al provided evidence for a ‘tend and befriend’ response.