Walter Cannon's theory posits that in response to a perceived threat, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system, triggering a cascade of physiological changes. Cannon viewed this response as a fundamental, built-in mechanism for maintaining homeostasis, the body's stable internal environment. He considered it an adaptive function that prepares an individual to either fight or flee, enabling them to adjust to environmental threats and ultimately enhance their chances of survival.

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Stress is a complex phenomenon that affects individuals in various ways. The study of stress has led to the development of several theories that attempt to explain its causes and effects.

Theories of stress

- emotional numbness
- dissociation may occur when either fight or flight fails to protect or is not an option
- hiding the emotions or the abuse itself from self/others

Barriers to treatment for children with developmental trauma: loss of touch with self

Walter Cannon was an eminent American physiologist at Harvard Medical School and an early pioneer in the study of stress. In the early 20th century, he was the first to identify the body's fundamental physiological reactions to stressful events, which formed the basis for his later theory of the fight-or-flight response.

Walter Cannon

Homeostasis is the process by which a biological system maintains a stable, balanced internal environment to ensure optimal functioning. This state of equilibrium involves stabilizing key physiological variables, such as blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and body temperature, at levels ideal for survival.

Homeostasis

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

 This theory was proposed by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman in 1984. According to this theory, stress is a result of the interaction between the individual and the environment. The individual's appraisal of the stressor, their perceived ability to cope, and their emotional response all contribute to their level of stress. Coping strategies such as problem-solving, emotional regulation, and social support can help to reduce stress.

The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

This model is based on the idea that stress is not just a result of external events but also of internal psychological processes. According to this model, stress arises from a mismatch between an individual's perceived demands and their perceived ability to cope with those demands. The model suggests that individual differences in personality, coping strategies, and social support can influence an individual's response to stress.

The Psychosocial Stress Model

Taylor et al.'s "Tend and Befriend" theory propose that in response to stress, women are more likely to engage in nurturing and affiliative behaviors aimed at protecting themselves and their offspring, rather than the fight or flight response typically associated with stress. The theory suggests that this tendency evolved as a way to increase the chances of survival for women and their offspring. The tend and befriend response involves seeking social support, building alliances, and forming nurturing relationships as a way to reduce stress and increase feelings of safety and security.

Taylor et. al Tend and Befriend theory

A theory of emotion proposing that our emotional responses to a stimulus are determined by our cognitive appraisal of that stimulus. According to this theory, when we encounter a potential stressor, we engage in a process of appraisal where we evaluate the situation in terms of its potential harm, threat, or challenge. Based on this appraisal, we then generate emotional responses such as fear, anger, or excitement.

Lazarus's Cognitive-Mediational Theory

Cannon's Fight or Flight Response Theory

Developed by endocrinologist Hans Selye, the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) describes the body's consistent physiological reactions to stress. The theory posits that this response occurs in three stages, regardless of the specific stressor: the alarm reaction, where initial fight-or-flight reactions begin; the resistance stage, where the body adapts to continuing stress; and the exhaustion stage, where the body's adaptive energy is depleted and stress begins to take a physical toll.

The General Adaptation Syndrome Theory

Emotional numbing is the inability to feel emotions. In DDD patients, this may be observed on a spectrum. It often manifests as a loss of affection, pleasure, fear, or disgust. Sometimes it's an absolute inability to experience emotional states and other times it's a more subtle impairment (unable to experience emotional feelings that normally color perception and mental activity). An inability to perceive objects or concrete situations with emotional feeling, rather than a general inability to experience emotional states is also seen. Cognitive empathy is intact, but affective empathy is impaired.

Emotional Numbing

- Children can identify with animals because, like children, they are small and "helpless". The perception that animals can trust the therapist may lead children to be more inclined to trust the therapist
- The therapist can openly talk about all of the animal's characteristics and show love and acceptance for all of them. For example, an animal who bites would still be shown love. Children can learn that these parts of themselves are acceptable too.

Animal Assisted Therapy can help Children with Developmental Trauma

People with complex ptsd may go through depersonalization. Completely detaching from their past self. This often leads to difficulty in maintaining relationships.

dissociation

The fight-or-flight response, first identified by Walter Cannon, is the body's primary physiological reaction to a perceived threat. This response involves the coordinated activity of both the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This built-in adaptive mechanism prepares an individual to either confront or escape a danger, thereby increasing the chances of survival by helping to maintain homeostasis.

Fight or Flight Response

- Thermoregulation
- Fluid regulation
- Food and energy regulation

Focuses of Homeostasis

The hypothalamus is a brain structure that regulates various homeostatic processes, including blood pressure, appetite, and body temperature. It serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system, and it controls the hormonal secretions of the pituitary gland. Furthermore, it is involved in regulating sexual behavior and motivation.

Hypothalamus

The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems operate with complementary functions, working together in tandem to maintain the body's homeostasis, which is a state of internal equilibrium where biological conditions are kept at optimal levels.

The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems' Role in Homeostasis

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a structure within the hypothalamus, functions as the brain's primary biological clock. It receives direct input about light levels from the retina, which allows it to synchronize the body's internal rhythms with the external day-night cycle. The SCN then orchestrates these rhythms by sending signals to other parts of the brain, including the pineal gland, to regulate physiological and behavioral outputs.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) as the Brain's Biological Clock

A person steps outside on a cold winter day and begins to shiver. Which of the following best explains this physiological response in the context of maintaining a stable internal state?

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