Beyond Fight/Flight: The Fawn Response (People pleasing and Peacekeeping)

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Chuck DeGroat to talk about the natural reactivity we have to anxiety. We’ve talked a lot about fight and flight, conflict and distancing, but we don’t always add two other instinctive reactions: freeze and fawn. 

We may aspire to peace-making but we often settle for peace keeping and people-pleasing. When we can see our fawn response, we can stop hiding and courageously choose genuine connection instead.

Conversation Overview: 

• Chuck's tweet that inspired this conversation
• How does the fawn response mimic healthy connection while also undermining it?
• How does the fawn response show up in leadership?
• How do we connect the fawn response to anxiety?
• What might we do instead of fawning?

References: 

• Link to Chuck's Tweet
• Chuck Degroat Website
• https://twitter.com/chuckdegroat
• @chuckdegroat on Threads
• Janina Fisher 
• The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization
• Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable