Each individual has a natural conflict response. Such responses can mainly rely on one of the listed traits or included a combination of them. These behaviors can be triggered by toxic behaviors, attacks, or other uncomfortable situations.
Fight:
People with this response will naturally engage opponents or circumstances that make them uneasy. Sometimes a fight response is the only way to solve a problem, other times it can get someone killed.
Flight:
Individuals with this response are likely to run away or hide during distressful moments. Despite one's natural affinity, someone with a natural flight response could condition themselves to fight. The contrary behavior simply would require more effort to be undergone. These behaviors can be useful when a person needs to avoid a battle they cannot win or looks to escape unnecessary punishment.
Freeze:
The freeze response is when a person does not know how to react to a situation and often is left standing puzzled or paralyzed with fear. To a lesser extent, someone who freezes might simply do so for a second or two before thinking of a sensible action. On some occasions this can be advantageous when it is better to not simply run and leave someone's back as an open target for an opponent or for one to not fight and potentially get themselves killed.
Comply:
People who comply are known to follow orders when put in a difficult situation or try to find a way to agree with a threat. Like the other responses, there are times when this response is advantageous and there are moments where it is not.
What about emotional or mental breakdowns?
Emotional breakdowns do not count as a classic response since they take place when someone is completely overwhelmed by a situation and has an irrational reaction due to a high degree of fear or stress. These can happen from time to time, and some people are more susceptible to these actions than others.
Response Seasons[]
People might have different dominant responses at different times in their lives. Certain events or circumstances can cause people to change how they fundamentally respond to traumatic or serious situations. People can gradually condition themselves to react in different ways, but their default response is often what will be done intuitively if no thought is considered before acting.