Abstract

VILA, Jaime et al. The dynamics of fear: the defense cascade. Escritos de Psicología [online]. 2009, vol.3, n.1, pp.37-42. ISSN 1989-3809.

The study of defense reactions has become in the last years one of the most relevant ways to advance knowledge on the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of fear and anxiety. The antecedents of these studies are rooted in the work of Pavlov on the unconditioned reflexes of orienting and defense and on the work of Cannon on the fight or flight response, giving rise to two different approaches to defense: the attentional and the motivational. These two approaches have been difficult to reconcile in the past. However, in the last years new data have been accumulated on defense reactions which are facilitating the integration of both traditions. Part of these data refers to the cardiac defense response. Recent research in this area has shown that cardiac defense is a complex pattern of heart rate changes with two accelerative/decelerative sequential components, with both sympathetic and parasympathetic physiological mediation, and with both attentional and motivational significance. In this context, an attentional- motivational model of cardiac defense has been proposed. The model postulates an attentional defense phase - analogous to the freezing response- associated with the first acceleration/deceleration and a motivational defense phase - analogous to the fight/flight response- associated with the second acceleration/deceleration.

Keywords : Defense cascade; fear; active defense; passive defense; heart rate; attention.

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