Trauma Survival Strategies

Survival strategies is a term Paul Valent coined following his observations that disaster victims used eight basically different methods to survive. Each survival strategy had already been recognized in social and animal studies. Valent brought them together for the first time to help explain the wide range of trauma responses and consequences, including those in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fight and flight have been the most recognized strategies of survival, and flight responses especially provide criterion 4 of PTSD, that is, what of traumatic experiences is relived and avoided. However, although a single psychological response provides a linear measurable target of observation, it ignores of necessity many other observations, or sees them as comorbid conditions. Eight biopsychosocial responses and their radiations, however, help highlight and make ...