About this test
In tense moments we don't always choose how we react: the nervous system activates an automatic survival response. Some people attack, others run, others freeze and others try to please.
Think about how you react in the moment, before you've had time to think.
The four survival responses
Physiologist Walter Cannon described the 'fight or flight' response in the early 20th century, and later research added freezing. Psychotherapist Pete Walker added a fourth, fawning: calming the threat by pleasing others, common in people who grew up in tense environments.
All four are normal and have helped us survive. The problem appears when one of them is triggered too often or in situations that aren't dangerous. Breathing, grounding techniques and therapy can help calm the nervous system.