Survival Mechanisms
Survival Mechanisms (a.k.a. Defense Mechanisms in Old Energy Psychology) are psychological, emotional, biological, and behavioral patterns evolutionarily selected and reinforced because of their contribution to the survival of the Physical Unit. Survival mechanisms may be best understood by considering them to be software programs, genetic programs, manifested in the evolutionary forge of physical reality, and "received" or imprinted into the receptive genetic structures of the physical unit.
Survival mechanisms, survival programs, include the emotional ability to attach, the psychological ability to repress, the physical ability to fight and flee in response to environmental stress, and so on.
Genetic software generally consists of two elements, 1) eliciting conditions and 2) "winning" responses. Eliciting conditions are any conditions or experiences that the brain of the physical unit perceives of as salient, and winning responses are those responses that lead both short term and long term survivability, and thus the "passing on" of "winning" genetic programming to "genetically proximate" genetic lines.
Survival mechanisms are activated when certain environmental conditions are met. Survival mechanisms that cause imprinting, for example, are activated at birth when infants see their parents (and vica versa). Similarly, survival mechanisms designed to deal with threat are activated when the physical unit perceives itself threatened. The threat may be real, as in the case of a mugger wielding a knife, or perceived, as when individuals harbor chronic, low grade, fear of "hell or damnation." It should be noted that perception may be manipulated and fears may be intentionally created in consciousness via subtle, or not so subtle, manipulation of thoughts and emotions.
Survival mechanisms are supported by, among other things, the endocrine systems of the body. Activation of survival programming often involves releases of specific chemicals (adrenaline, testosterone, etc.) designed to both prepare the body for response, and encourage that response.
It should be noted that since the evolution of the physical unit proceeds slowly (i.e. over millennial and not centuries or decades), current survival mechanisms originate in the hunting and gathering past of this planet. When analyzing extant survival mechanisms, and when determining their continued viability, reference must be made, therefore, to the survival requirements of nomadic existence; requirements, it should be emphasized, that no longer exist!
It should also be noted that survival mechanisms are exploited by system agents in the construction and reinforcement of The System. The survival mechanism of repression is exploited, for example, in order to subvert awareness of the bitter realities of this world. Similarly, Action or Avoidance mechanisms are exploited in order to control behaviour.
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Physiological Survival Mechanisms
Physiological survival mechanisms are survival mechanisms that implicate biological systems in the body. The physiological survival mechanism that I call Action or Avoidance, is triggered by the perception of threat. Once activated, the biological program in turn triggers biological responses. When the organism perceives threat, programming is activated that prepares the body for immediate response. This preparation involves, amongst other things, the release of appropriate hormones into the blood stream, the modification of circulatory function (blood to the extremities, for example), and so on
Psychological Survival Mechanisms
Survival Mechanism Functions
As noted above, survival mechanisms are biological programs designed to enhance survivability of the physical unit. Like all programs, survival mechanisms have functions which are "called" when environmental conditions activate the genetic coding. Functions may include endocrine responses, like the release of adrenalin, biological responses, like to dilation of blood vessels in the extremities, emotional responses, like the solicitation of fear in the physical unit, and motor responses, like flinging the hands up in defense. It is the unique combination of functions, the order of their activation, and the environmental conditions which they respond to, that determine the nature of program called. Obviously, understanding survival mechanisms is facilitated by understanding the individual functions, and the manner and order within which they are invoked.
See Also
http://www.ftmguide.org/hormonebasics.html
The Initiation card in The Book of the Triumph of Spirit Master Key
Sharp, Michael (2012). Survival Mechanisms. The SpiritWiki: http://www.thespiritwiki.com/index.php/Survival_Mechanisms [Accessed: May 21, 2012]
