Chapter 16
Fight or flight?. . . the ‘amygdala hijack’
Neuroscientific studies have been carried out to show the workings of the brain when a person hears a statement that relates to their ‘status’ or self-image being assessed or challenged. The much talked about ‘fight or flight’ mechanism is activated and it inevitably puts us in defensive mode.
Daniel Goleman (author of Emotional Intelligence) says: ‘Emotion makes us pay attention right now . . . it gives us an immediate action plan without having to think twice. Do I eat it, or does it eat me – you don’t sit around and Google it.’ The emotional response ‘can take over the rest of the brain in a millisecond if threatened’.
Goleman noted that ‘. . . the architecture of the brain gives the ...
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