Outline and evaluate the fight or flight response (16 marks)
The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to
an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception
of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an
acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. These
responses are evolutionary adaptations to increase the chances of
survival in threatening situations.
At first, a stressor is detected for example a conflict, the hypothalamus
active this triggers activity in the sympathetic branch of the ANS, which
stimulates the Adrenal medulla, adrenaline and noradrenaline is
produced which activated the fight or flight response in the sympathetic
medullary system (SAM).
Adrenaline has a range of effects on the body such as increasing heart
rate, constricting blood vessels, increasing rate of blood flow and raising
blood pressure, diverting blood away from the skin, kidneys and
digestive system, increasing blood to the brain and skeletal muscle
increases respiration and sweating.
One weakness of the fight or flight response is that the psychological
response associated with fight or flight may be adaptive for a stress
response that requires energetic behaviour like fleeing a lion or moving
out of an oncoming car, however, the stressor of modern life rarely
requires such physical activity like worrying about exams in these types
of situations the fight or flight response won’t help solve the problem
instead only make it worse. The problem for modern humans is when
the stress response is repeatedly activated, the increased blood
pressure can lead to physical damage to re blood pressure and
eventually to heart disease, this suggests that the response may no
longer be adaptive for stressors or threats that we face today.
To further this point it has been suggested that the first phase of a
reaction to a threat is not fight or flight but, but instead, it’s to avoid
confrontation before responding with attacking or running away most
animals including humans typically display a ‘freeze’ response, this is so
that we are hyper-vigilant – alert to the slightest sign of danger, this
would have been adaptive for humans as it focuses attention and makes
them look for new information in order to the best response for that
The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to
an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception
of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an
acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. These
responses are evolutionary adaptations to increase the chances of
survival in threatening situations.
At first, a stressor is detected for example a conflict, the hypothalamus
active this triggers activity in the sympathetic branch of the ANS, which
stimulates the Adrenal medulla, adrenaline and noradrenaline is
produced which activated the fight or flight response in the sympathetic
medullary system (SAM).
Adrenaline has a range of effects on the body such as increasing heart
rate, constricting blood vessels, increasing rate of blood flow and raising
blood pressure, diverting blood away from the skin, kidneys and
digestive system, increasing blood to the brain and skeletal muscle
increases respiration and sweating.
One weakness of the fight or flight response is that the psychological
response associated with fight or flight may be adaptive for a stress
response that requires energetic behaviour like fleeing a lion or moving
out of an oncoming car, however, the stressor of modern life rarely
requires such physical activity like worrying about exams in these types
of situations the fight or flight response won’t help solve the problem
instead only make it worse. The problem for modern humans is when
the stress response is repeatedly activated, the increased blood
pressure can lead to physical damage to re blood pressure and
eventually to heart disease, this suggests that the response may no
longer be adaptive for stressors or threats that we face today.
To further this point it has been suggested that the first phase of a
reaction to a threat is not fight or flight but, but instead, it’s to avoid
confrontation before responding with attacking or running away most
animals including humans typically display a ‘freeze’ response, this is so
that we are hyper-vigilant – alert to the slightest sign of danger, this
would have been adaptive for humans as it focuses attention and makes
them look for new information in order to the best response for that
