Survival Strategy Components

The table below lists specific appraisals which evoke one or other of eight survival strategies. They are respectively Rescue and Attachment, Assertiveness and Adaptation, Fight and Flight, and Competition andCooperation, forming four complementary pairs.

Survival strategies are listed according to their adaptive and maladaptive, biological, psychological and social characteristics. These characteristics may act in concert, though  individual characteristics may be emphasised as specific symptoms at different times. 

Similarly, the apparently static view of the table belies the dynamism within it, and its relationship to parameter and moral dimensions.

The first line for each psychological and social description of survival strategy responses refers to physical survival, while the second to provision of resources. The third lines (bold and underlined) are combinations of both. 

The table lists traumas which may arise from each unsuccessful survival strategy. To the right of the Table (not shown) are interactions of traumas with defences and illnesses.To the left of the Table (not shown) are interactions with the initial traumatic situations.

Adaptive and maladaptive judgments of worth are included to give a sense of survival strategy interactions with other, in this case the moral dimension.

A third dimension (also not shown), the parameters dimension indicates what, where when to whom stress and trauma occur, eg to individuals, families, or nations. 

Survival struggles in their three dimensions constitute The Wholist Perspective.

Appraisal of means of survivalSurvival Strategies
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Anatomical SubstrateAdaptive / coping responsesMaladaptive / not coping responsesTrauma
    BiologicalPsychologicalSocial*Judgments of worthBiologicalPsychologicalSocial*Judgments of worth

1. Must save others

rescue,
protect,
provide
thalamus
cingulate
gyrus
↑estrogen
↑oxytocin
↑opioids
care
empathy
devotion
responsibility
nurture
preservation
responsible
giving
altruistic
ergotropic
& trophotropic
arousal
burden
depletion
self-concern
resentment
neglect
rejection
irresponsible
neglectful
egotistic

anguished
compassion fatigue
caused death

2. must be saved by othersattachment
protected
provided
hypothalamus
cingulate
gyrus
?↑opioidsheld,cared for
nutured
looked after
close, secure
content
union
worthy
deserving
lovable
↓opioids
↑crf
yearning
need, craving
abandonment
insecure
deprived
separation
unworthy
encumberance
rejectable
helplessness
cast out
left to die
3. must achieve goalassertiveness
combat
work
hypothalamus
lateral
tegmentum
↑e, ↑ne
↓cortisol
↑immunocomp.
strength
control
potency
will
high morale
success
strong
capable
successful
↑↑ergotropic
ne depletion
↑bp, ?↑chd
frustration
loss of control
impotence
willfulness
low morale
inadequate
inadequate
incompetent
failure
exhaustion
burn-out
powerlessness
4. must surrender goaladaptation
accept
grieve
hippocampus
septum
↑trophotropic
↑pit-adrenoc
↑cortisol
acceptance
sadness, grief
hope
yielding
mourning
turn to new
pitiful
sympathy
tribute
↑cortisol
↓immunocomp
↑infection↑ca
overwhelmed
depression
despair
collapsed
withdrawal
giving-up
weak
pathetic
despicable
damaged
given-in
succumbing
5. must remove dangerfight
defend
rid
hypothalamus
tegmentum
amygdala
↑ne, renin, e
↑pit-adrenoc
↑cortisol
threat
revenge
frighten
deterrence
wounding
riddance
brave
noble
heroic
↑↑ergotropic
opioids vary
↓cort
hatred
persecution
killing
attack
eradication
destruction
violent
wicked
murderer
horror
evil
murder
6. must remove oneself from dangerflight
run, hide
save oneself
hypothalamus
amygdala
cingulate
↑erg & troph
↑da, b-end ?
↑serotonin
fear
terror
deliverance
retreat
flight
escape
pitiable
vulnerable
refugee
ne & da
depletion
↑e & ↓cortisol
phobia
paranoia
engulfment
avoidance
panic
annihilation
timid
panicky
coward
inescapable
shock being
hunted, killed
7. must obtain scarce essentialscompetition
dominance
acquisition
hypothalamus
hippocampus
septum
↑testosterone
↑ne & e
winning
status
power
contest
hierarchy
possession
superior
respected
honored
↓testosterone
↓fsh & lh
↑acth
defeat
greed, envy
exploitation
oppression
struggle
plunder
inferior
contemptible
humiliated
terrorization
marginalization
elimination
8. must create more essentialscooperation
trust
mutual gain
amygdala
temporal &
cingulate gyri
↑opiates
↓bp, e & ne
↑trophotropic
mutuality
generosity
love
integration
reciprocity
creativity
tender
poignant
beautiful
↓opiates
?↑trophotropic
overactivity
betrayal
selfishness
abuse
disconnection
robbery
fragmentation
deceived
seduced
perverted
disintegration
alienation
decay

E, epinephrine; NE, norepinephrine; immunocomp, immunocompetence; pit-adrenoc, pituitary-adrenocortical axis; erg, ergotrophic system (arousal system including sympathetic nervous system); troph, trophotropic system (relaxation system including parasympathetic nervous system); BP, blood pressure; DA, dopamine; B-end, Beta endorphin; CRF, corticotropin releasing factor; CHD, coronary heart disease; CA, cancer; FSH, follicle stimulating hormone; LH, luteinising hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone

* Part of moral judgements.  Judgements of good and bad, and of just and unjust are not shown.