The flight or fight response evaluation

Question 1

Name one evaluation response for the flight or fight response

Answer 1

there are negative consequences
the physiological responses associated with fight or flight maybe adaptive for a stress response that requires energetic behavioural responses however the stressors of modern day activity do not require this
For example, this can be linked to eea= environment of evolutionary adaptation
the problem for modern human arises when the stress response is repeatedly activated for example, increased blood pressure can lead to physical damage in blood vessels which leads to heart disease

Question 2

Name a second evaluation point of the fight or flight response

Answer 2

‘fight or flight does not tell the whole story’
Gray in 1988 argues that the first phase of the reaction is not flee but to avoid confrontation
He argues that prior to responding with attacking or running away most animals (including humans) display the ‘freeze’ response (like a stop,look and listen) it entails an individual to be hyper-vigilant and alert to the slightest amount of danger

the adaptive advantages of this response for humans ‘freezing’ focuses attention to look for new information in order to make the best response for a particular threat.

Question 3

Name a third evaluation point

Answer 3

there is a genetic basis to sex differences in the flight or fight response
Lee and Harley in 2012
The SRY gene found exclusively on the male Y chromosome, directs male development promoting aggression and resulting in the flight or flight response to stress
The SRY gene may cause this response due the release of hormones such as adrenaline and through increased blood flow to the organs
in contrast, the absence of the SRY gene in females may prevent this response to stress and may lead to ‘tend and befriend behaviours’

Question 4

Name a fourth evaluation point

Answer 4

Taylor et al in 2000 suggests that the behavioural response to females in the flight or fight response is to ‘tend and befriend’ which involves protecting themselves and their young through nurturing behaviours and forming protective alliances with other women. Women may have different behavioural responses to men because their responses evolved in the context of being the primary caregiver of their children, fleeing at any sign of danger would put a female’s offspring at risk.

Question 5

Name a final evaluation point

Answer 5

Von Dawans et al in 2012 challenges that the classic view that under stress men respond only with the flight or fight response whereas women are more prone to ‘tend and befriend’
Von Dawans study found that acute stress can lead to greater cooperative behaviour in both men and women . One reason why this may be is due to the fact that human being are fundamentally social creatures and it is the protective nature of human social relationships that has allowed our species to survive