Fight, Flight, or Fright

While anthropologists have readily examined our instinctual flight or fight responses to severe threat, indications of inexplicable behavior brought to light the fright response. Since 1929, it was presumed that humans reacted in one of two ways to threats. However, flight or fight could not explain why the woman sitting next to the exit on the plane on fire did not escape, yet people fifteen rows past her managed to do so through the exit adjacent to her. Passengers commented on how she just sat in her seat as if "frozen" and was entirely unresponsive to people cajoling her to exit. Initial explanations suggested that she was in shock. Further examination brought to light the fright response to threat, in which humans freeze up as if dead when threatened. The biological basis for this is simple, that if we could not fight them, or run away from them, acting as if dead allowed the "enemy" to be unchallenged, leaving the victim as dead rather than for dead.

A recent threat highlighted the varying ways in which my ex-husband and I handle threat. While my ex-husband was microwaving a Chinese noodle container, it caught fire. He was eating a sandwich to one side of the kitchen. My two year old daughter was playing with the paper plates in the pantry on another side. My six year old son was sitting on the other side of the kitchen eating at the table. I saw the fire. I started to squeal like you would not believe. Then, I ran to an area between both children, while continuing to squeal. The squeals registered with the ex-husband and as he continued to eat his sandwich with one hand, he filled a sippy cup full of water, opened the door, and dumped the water on it. Repeat five times minus the opening of the door. Continue eating the sandwich.

By that time, both children were crying, the daughter due to my squeals, the son due to the ever increasing flames. I had subsequently moved to the couch with both kids. My ex-husband, almost done with the sandwich, had vanquished the fire and was exclaiming, "Hey!! You just ran away!!"

Apparently, I was exhibiting the flight response. I think my ex-husband exhibited the fight response, but we would have to ask his sandwich. The children, bless their hearts, were fright models.

Now, if only Walter Cannon knew about us....