fight or flight

• Amygdala

  Involved in stimulating fight or flight by associating sensory signals with emotions such as fear and sending a distress signal to the hypothalamus
• Bodies' 2 main systems

  • Acute stressors
  • Chronic stress
• Fight or flight- acute stressors

  • distress signal from amygadala - hypothalamus, Triggers the sympathetic nervous system
  • Sends a signal to adrenal medulla which releases adrenaline into the bloodstream
• Parasympathetic nervous system

  Dampens down the stress response after the threat has passed
• Parasympathetic nervous system actions

  • Opposing action to sympathetic
  • Slows down heart rate
  • Digestion begins again
• Hypothalamus response

  1. Release CRH into the bloodstream

  2. Goes to pituitary gland
• Pituitary gland response

  1. CRH causes it to produce and release ACTH into bloodstream

  2. Goes to adrenal glands
• Adrenal glands response

  ACTH stimulates adrenal to produce cortisol
• Cortisol

  Responsible for effects important in fight or flight, such as quick bursts of energy and lower immune response
• direct effects of adrenaline

  1.increase heart rate 

  2.increased blood pressure-more blood to muscles and vital organs 

  3.more rapid breathing to take in more oxygen

  4.release of glucose and fats into bloodstream to supply energy

  5.diverts blood away from the skin, kidneys and digestive system – 6.increases blood to brain and skeletal muscle

  7. increases respiration and sweating
• -Beta bias as it minimises/ignores gender differences 

  -tend (nurturing) and befriend (forming alliances) 

   related their responses evolving as being primary caregivers meaning they have a different response to men 

  -There is a Genetic basis for this difference, gene SRY found in men promotes aggression resulting in the fight or flight responses but the absence of this plus other hormones like oestrogen promoting caregiving may prevent this same response.

  -Therefore fight or flight cannot be applied to both genders 
• Fight or flight doesn’t show the whole picture 

  Gray argues the first part of any stress response is to avoid confrontation  which shows up in the form of freezing 

  -this is to focus and look for new information in order to make the best response t that threat 

  -something which is not explaining simply by fight or flight 
• One limitation is that fight or flight can have Negative consequences 

  -Stress response nowadays can be activated for things we don’t need to use high physical activity for

  • if this happens repeatedly can develop into chronic stress

  -And too much Sns activity can lead to heart disease and damaged blood vessels