Most of us are familiar with the notion of “Fight or Flight”, the idea that , when faced with danger, the human brain is hard wired to react for survival. We can observe this mechanism in animals. If you have ever seen a cat or dog react to a threat you see they either get out of the area fast or they go on the attack.
We see this in humans as well, and it is compounded by the pressures and technology of modern society. Take road rage for example. Driving is a very dangerous activity, so when people feel intimidated by another driver, they may react strongly as if their life is being threatened. If all they have is the survival mechanism of “Fight or Flight”, it can spin out of control. Indeed, that primitive “blind rage” reaction is what a person instinctively knows he must summon if he is to meet the threat and survive. The problem is that this reaction is almost never the proper one in a civilized society.
John Davie is Co-Founder of RFLX Training Systems
