Survival Threats
Survival Threats - Related Videos
01:50
Threats to Biodiversity
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2019
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
02:09
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
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2020
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
04:09
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation to Reduce Responses to Ideological Threats
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2025
Source: Holbrook, C., et al. Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses. J. Vis. Exp. (2018)This video demonstrates the application of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to modulate responses to ideological threats. Electromyography (EMG) electrodes record motor signals, while a magnetic coil stimulates the primary motor cortex to determine the active motor threshold (aMT). The coil is then repositioned...
11:18
Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
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Cited by 37 •
2014
Potentiation of the startle reflex is measured via electromyography of the orbicularis oculi muscle during low (uncertain) and high (certain) probability electric shock threat in the Threat Probability Task. This provides an objective measure of distinct negative emotional states (fear/anxiety) for research on psychopathology, substance use/abuse, and broad affective science.
02:52
Cellular Impedance-Based Survival Kinetics Assay to Assess Virus Survival
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2025
This video describes a cellular impedance-based technique to study the survival kinetics of viruses that induce cytopathic effects. The method measures the electrical impedance of virus-infected adherent cells pre-treated with saline.
FAQs
Psychological responses can begin when danger is perceived, even before an injury or other physical consequence occurs. This distinction matters because the brain’s defensive systems respond to an individual’s assessment of safety, not only to objectively verified harm. In research and clinical settings, separating actual exposure from perceived threat helps explain intense reactions without current physical danger.
The amygdala, hypothalamus, and autonomic nervous system contribute different parts of a coordinated danger response. Neural detection engages the hypothalamus and autonomic pathways, while stress hormones support heightened alertness and energy availability. Considering these components together is useful because a survival response is not a single emotion or behavior; it is a linked biological process that prepares a person to respond.
Fight, flight, freezing, and avoidance represent different defensive patterns that can emerge when safety is challenged. Their common function is protection, but the outward behavior may differ according to the person’s immediate response to danger. This framework gives psychologists a way to describe behavior without treating every threat reaction as identical, which is relevant when examining coping, anxiety, or trauma-related symptoms.
Repeated or severe exposure can alter how attention, memory, emotion, and decision-making operate. These changes may help explain why the effects of a threat can persist after the immediate event, while also creating difficulties when responses become maladaptive. In psychology, examining these cognitive and emotional consequences connects short-term defensive activation with longer-term anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and coping patterns.
In clinical psychology, survival-threat research can inform understanding of anxiety and trauma-related symptoms rather than focusing only on the original danger. Practitioners and researchers can consider how defensive activation, stress-related alertness, and altered cognition interact over time. This perspective supports interventions that address immediate reactions as well as persistent psychological effects and maladaptive coping.
In crisis management, this framework organizes attention around safety, rapid defensive responses, and the psychological effects that may follow severe danger. In resilience research, it provides a basis for studying how people respond when threats occur and how functioning may be affected afterward. These applications extend the topic beyond biological mechanisms to urgent situations and longer-term mental-health support.