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fear response

a response to a threat in which the threatened organism attempts to guard vulnerable vital organs and to protect itself. In addition to these protective functions, the fear response is aimed at removing the person or animal from the threatening situation, by overt withdrawal, by coping behaviors (e.g., shutting the eyes to avoid seeing the fear stimulus), or by remaining motionless. Physiological responses vary depending on the situation and the proximity of the threat. See also fight-or-flight response; freezing behavior.

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Psychology term of the day

March 13th 2025

Life Events Rating Scale

Life Events Rating Scale

an instrument used to measure the relative impact of diverse stress-producing life experiences, changes, and crises. The derived score is expressed in life-change units. The scale is more formally known as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. [developed in 1967 by U.S. psychiatrists Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe]