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Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn and the ASWB Exam

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn and the ASWB Exam

The ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) exam is designed to test your knowledge, skills, and ability to assess and intervene in various situations, particularly those involving stress and trauma. Among the key concepts you’ll encounter are the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses—critical behavioral reactions that humans experience when faced with perceived threats.

While these responses are rooted in our biology, they play a significant role in understanding client behavior, particularly when clients have experienced trauma or are in crisis. As a Social Worker, being able to recognize these reactions is essential for effective intervention, and they often show up on the ASWB exam in various forms.

During the exam, you may not see questions directly asking about fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, but these stress responses are embedded in case studies, ethical dilemmas, and crisis situations. Whether a client becomes defensive, avoids confronting their issues, appears emotionally frozen, or displays people-pleasing behaviors, your ability to identify and respond to these reactions can be the difference between making the right call or missing a key aspect of the client’s needs. The exam challenges you to apply your understanding of these responses in real-world scenarios, testing your knowledge and practical skills in handling complex, high-stress situations.

Learn more about the ASWB exam and create a personalized ASWB study plan with Agents of Change. We’ve helped thousands of Social Workers pass their ASWB exams and want to help you be next!

1) What Are Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Responses?

Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are fundamental ways in which human beings respond to perceived threats, danger, or stress. These responses are hardwired into our nervous system as survival mechanisms, but they are not limited to physical threats.

Emotional, psychological, and social stressors—like trauma, abuse, or overwhelming life changes—can trigger these reactions as well. Understanding these responses is critical for Social Workers, as clients dealing with trauma, anxiety, or stress often exhibit these behaviors.

A client experiencing a stress response during a therapy session. The client shows visible signs of anxiety and tension, while the therapist offers a calm, supportive presence.

Let’s explore each response in detail, how it manifests in client behavior, and what you need to know to identify and address these reactions in both real-life practice and on the ASWB exam.

The Fight Response

The fight response is the body’s reaction to stress that prepares an individual to face a threat head-on. When a person perceives danger, their body releases adrenaline, raising their heart rate and activating their muscles. This response enables individuals to confront a threat through aggression or assertiveness. However, in a non-physical context, it may not always be as literal as throwing punches. In Social Work, clients displaying a fight response might express their distress through:

  • Anger or irritability: Clients may become frustrated easily, raising their voice or becoming hostile when discussing sensitive topics.
  • Defensiveness: They might argue or reject advice, feeling the need to defend themselves or their actions, even in non-threatening situations.
  • Control and assertiveness: Some clients may react to stress by trying to exert control over their environment, becoming overly assertive or demanding.

Fight Response in Practice

As a Social Worker, you may encounter clients exhibiting the fight response when they feel backed into a corner. For instance, a client who is mandated to attend therapy but is resistant to the process may become argumentative or even aggressive during sessions. Your role is to de-escalate the situation, validate their feelings without engaging in the conflict, and find ways to address the underlying causes of their defensiveness.

In the ASWB exam, the fight response may appear in case studies where clients exhibit confrontational behaviors during a session. You will need to choose appropriate interventions that avoid escalating the situation while still addressing the client’s needs.

The Flight Response

The flight response occurs when a person tries to escape or avoid a stressful situation. In nature, this might involve physically fleeing from danger. In modern life, especially in the context of trauma or emotional stress, the flight response often manifests as avoidance behaviors or withdrawal. For clients, this might look like:

  • Avoiding difficult topics: Clients may sidestep conversations about trauma, grief, or other painful experiences, preferring to talk about less intense subjects.
  • Skipping appointments: Flight may show up as avoidance of therapy itself, with clients missing or canceling sessions regularly.
  • Disengagement or emotional withdrawal: Some clients may seem detached or uninterested, as though they are emotionally “running away” from difficult emotions.

Flight Response in Practice

Social Workers frequently see the flight response in clients who are overwhelmed by stress or trauma. For example, a client struggling with grief might avoid discussing the loss, focusing instead on unrelated topics to steer clear of their emotional pain. Similarly, clients dealing with substance abuse may avoid talking about their addiction, refusing to confront the severity of the issue.

On the ASWB exam, you might encounter flight responses in scenarios where clients display avoidance or withdrawal behaviors. You’ll need to assess the root of the avoidance and implement strategies to gently bring clients back to confront the source of their distress without overwhelming them.

The Freeze Response

The freeze response occurs when a person feels so overwhelmed by a threat that they become immobilized, unable to act or make decisions. This can manifest as physical stillness, but more commonly in the context of trauma or stress, it appears as mental or emotional paralysis. The freeze response is often a result of feeling trapped or powerless, and it might show up in the following ways:

  • Inability to make decisions: Clients may struggle to take action or make choices, even when they are simple or necessary.
  • Emotional numbness: Some clients might describe feeling “frozen” emotionally, unable to express or process their feelings.
  • Inaction: Clients in a freeze response may become passive, failing to engage in therapeutic activities or follow through on plans.

Freeze Response in Practice

In your work as a Social Worker, you might encounter clients who are unable to move forward after a traumatic event, struggling to make even the smallest decisions. A client who has experienced abuse may feel stuck, unable to leave the situation but also unable to take steps to protect themselves. Your intervention may involve helping the client break down tasks into manageable steps and offering reassurance that their reactions are normal.

On the ASWB exam, you might see case studies where clients exhibit paralysis in decision-making or fail to engage in treatment. Recognizing this as a freeze response will help you choose interventions that focus on empowering the client and restoring their sense of control over their situation.

The Fawn Response

The fawn response is often the least discussed, but it’s particularly relevant in Social Work, especially when working with clients who have experienced abuse or chronic trauma. Fawning is a response where an individual tries to appease a perceived threat by becoming overly accommodating, submissive, or eager to please. While it may help avoid immediate conflict, it can also lead to harmful patterns, particularly in abusive or codependent relationships. Signs of fawn responses include:

  • Over-apologizing: Clients may constantly apologize, even when they’ve done nothing wrong, in an effort to avoid conflict.
  • People-pleasing: Some clients may agree to things that go against their own interests or values, just to keep the peace.
  • Difficulty asserting needs: Fawning clients may struggle to advocate for themselves, fearing that speaking up will lead to punishment or rejection.

Fawn Response in Practice

As a Social Worker, you may work with clients who engage in fawning behaviors as a survival mechanism, particularly in situations of domestic abuse or unhealthy relationships. These clients may feel compelled to please their abusers or those in authority, sacrificing their own well-being to maintain harmony. It’s crucial to help these clients build self-worth and develop the skills to assert their needs in a safe and healthy way.

In the ASWB exam, you could see scenarios where a client constantly defers to others, avoids making their own choices, or seems overly concerned with pleasing authority figures. Understanding this as a fawn response will guide your selection of interventions that promote self-empowerment and boundary setting.

Common Features of Stress Responses

While each of these responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—manifest differently, they share common features. These include:

  • Activation of the nervous system: All of these responses are driven by the body’s stress response system, which includes the release of adrenaline, increased heart rate, and heightened awareness.
  • Survival-oriented behavior: Each response is designed to protect the individual in some way, whether by confronting the threat, fleeing from it, freezing in place, or appeasing it.
  • Impact on decision-making: These stress responses can impair a person’s ability to make clear, rational decisions, leading to behaviors that may seem irrational or counterproductive in non-threatening situations.

Understanding these features can help you spot stress responses in your clients and respond with empathy, recognizing that these behaviors are rooted in the body’s natural survival instincts.

Why Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Matter in Social Work

For Social Workers, recognizing these stress responses is essential to providing trauma-informed care. Clients who have experienced trauma, abuse, or chronic stress are more likely to display these behaviors as coping mechanisms, often without being consciously aware of it. By understanding the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses, Social Workers can offer more compassionate, effective interventions that align with the client’s emotional state.

A client exhibiting a fight response in a therapy session. The client's body language, including a tense, confrontational posture and facial expressions of frustration, shows their defensive and aggressive reaction to a stress trigger.

In practice, knowing when a client is exhibiting these responses helps guide your approach—whether it’s de-escalating a situation, encouraging the client to face their stressors, or helping them regain control in the face of overwhelming emotions. On the ASWB exam, your ability to recognize and address these responses will be tested in various scenarios, requiring you to draw on both your theoretical knowledge and your practical skills.

Agents of Change packages include 30+ ASWB topics, 2 free study groups per month, and hundreds of practice questions so you’ll be ready for test day!

2) How Are Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Tested on the ASWB Exam?

The fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are not just theoretical concepts in psychology or trauma studies; they are practical, real-world behaviors that Social Workers encounter regularly. These responses show up in how clients cope with trauma, stress, conflict, and crisis, making them essential for Social Workers to recognize and understand. On the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) exam, you will need to apply your knowledge of these stress responses to various scenarios, helping you identify what’s happening with a client and what kind of intervention is necessary.

The ASWB exam tests these concepts indirectly through case studies, behavioral assessments, crisis intervention scenarios, and ethical dilemmas. While you may not always see the terms “fight,” “flight,” “freeze,” or “fawn” explicitly mentioned, the behaviors associated with these responses will be embedded in the questions. You will be expected to recognize these patterns and select appropriate actions or interventions based on the client’s behavior.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn in Human Behavior and Development Questions

The Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) section of the ASWB exam is where you are most likely to encounter questions related to these stress responses. In this section, you’ll be asked to apply your understanding of how people develop, adapt, and cope with stress across the lifespan. Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are integral to this understanding, especially when working with clients who have experienced trauma, abuse, or chronic stress.

In these questions, you’ll need to:

  • Identify client behavior: Does the client exhibit signs of aggression (fight), avoidance (flight), indecision (freeze), or over-accommodation (fawn)?
  • Assess the impact of the behavior: How is the client’s response affecting their ability to function in relationships, work, or therapy?
  • Recommend appropriate interventions: Based on the identified behavior, what would be the best intervention? Would it be to de-escalate aggression, gently encourage the client to face their fears, or help them regain control of decision-making?

Sample Case Study

Consider a scenario where a client, Sarah, a 35-year-old woman, is referred to you for therapy after a domestic violence incident. In your first meeting, she appears calm but frequently apologizes for “taking up your time” and downplays the severity of her injuries. She seems overly focused on not upsetting her partner, despite the violence. In this scenario, Sarah is exhibiting the fawn response—she is overly accommodating, trying to appease her partner and downplaying her own needs for safety and well-being.

A question based on this scenario might ask:

  • What is the most likely stress response Sarah is displaying?
  • What would be an appropriate intervention for Sarah’s situation?

Here, your task is to recognize that Sarah is in the fawn response and that the best course of action is to help her build self-worth and assert her own needs. Interventions may include trauma-informed care, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and boundary-setting skills.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn in Crisis Intervention Scenarios

The Crisis Intervention and Trauma-Informed Care areas of the ASWB exam are particularly rich with scenarios that involve the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. When people experience crisis situations—whether sudden traumatic events, ongoing abuse, or acute stress—they tend to respond in ways that are designed to protect them, even if those responses are not always helpful in the long term. Recognizing these stress responses in crisis situations is critical for selecting appropriate interventions that stabilize the client and address their immediate needs.

A diverse female social worker studying for an exam in a cozy home office setting. The atmosphere is warm and conducive to focus, with the social worker deeply engaged in her study materials.

In these questions, you will be asked to:

  • Recognize crisis behavior: What immediate response is the client showing in the face of a crisis? Are they angry and confrontational (fight), disengaged and avoiding the problem (flight), paralyzed by indecision (freeze), or overly accommodating to avoid conflict (fawn)?
  • Respond to the crisis: What immediate action will help the client feel safe and stabilized? Does the client need grounding exercises to break a freeze response, or de-escalation techniques to calm a fight response?

Sample Crisis Scenario

Imagine a scenario in which a client, Mike, has just witnessed a violent incident and is brought into your office for crisis intervention. He sits quietly, barely speaks, and when he does, he says he can’t think clearly or figure out what to do next. Mike is exhibiting the freeze response—he is emotionally and cognitively paralyzed by the overwhelming nature of what he has just experienced.

A question based on this scenario might ask:

  • How should you, as the Social Worker, approach Mike’s situation?
  • What interventions should you apply to help Mike regain control?

In this case, recognizing the freeze response is crucial. The best intervention would involve grounding techniques and providing clear, simple choices to help Mike regain a sense of agency and break through his state of paralysis. Long-term, you might introduce trauma-informed therapeutic methods to help him process the event.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn in Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical dilemmas are another key area on the ASWB exam where fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses may be embedded in the scenarios. As a Social Worker, you are required to navigate complex situations where clients’ stress responses might impact their decision-making or influence how they engage with you and other professionals. Understanding these responses will help you make ethical decisions that respect the client’s autonomy while also providing the necessary support.

In ethical dilemma questions, you may need to:

  • Recognize how stress responses affect client choices: Is the client’s decision-making capacity compromised by their fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response? For example, is a client who consistently agrees with everything the Social Worker says exhibiting a fawn response that undermines their autonomy?
  • Balance ethical obligations with client needs: How can you uphold ethical principles, such as informed consent, when a client is frozen in fear and unable to make decisions? How do you empower a client exhibiting the flight response, who is avoiding necessary conversations about their treatment?

Sample Ethical Dilemma

Consider a scenario where a client, Maria, who has a history of childhood abuse, is discussing her treatment plan with you. Throughout the session, she repeatedly defers to your suggestions, even when asked directly about her preferences. She seems eager to please, agreeing to everything without voicing her own opinions or concerns. This is indicative of the fawn response, where Maria is attempting to avoid conflict by being overly agreeable.

A question based on this scenario might ask:

  • What ethical concerns arise from Maria’s behavior?
  • How should you, as a Social Worker, ensure that Maria’s autonomy and informed consent are respected in this situation?

In this case, recognizing Maria’s fawn response is key. The ethical challenge lies in ensuring that her compliance is not a result of her trauma but a genuine reflection of her wishes. You would need to create an environment where Maria feels safe enough to express her own opinions, possibly using motivational interviewing techniques to help her voice her preferences and make informed decisions about her care.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn in Treatment Planning and Assessment

When it comes to assessment and treatment planning, the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are integral to how you understand a client’s behavior and what therapeutic interventions you recommend. On the ASWB exam, these responses will often be tested in scenarios where you need to identify the client’s presenting problem and formulate a treatment plan that addresses the specific stress response they are displaying.

In these questions, you will need to:

  • Identify stress responses in assessments: What stress response is the client exhibiting during the assessment? Are they resisting therapy (fight), avoiding appointments (flight), or struggling to make decisions about their care (freeze)?
  • Create treatment plans tailored to stress responses: Based on the client’s behavior, what interventions are most appropriate? Should you focus on empowering the client to assert their needs (for a fawn response) or provide coping strategies to manage avoidance behaviors (for a flight response)?

Sample Treatment Planning Scenario

Consider a case where a client, John, has a history of trauma and recently experienced a significant loss. During your assessment, John expresses a desire to move forward but has been skipping appointments and avoids talking about the grief directly. This is an example of the flight response, where John is avoiding the emotional pain of his loss.

A question based on this scenario might ask:

  • How should you approach John’s treatment plan given his avoidance behavior?
  • What interventions would be most effective in helping John face his grief?

Here, the flight response suggests that John is overwhelmed by his emotions and avoiding them as a coping mechanism. The best intervention might be gradual exposure therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help John confront his grief in manageable steps without becoming overwhelmed.

Key Takeaways for the ASWB Exam

When preparing for the ASWB exam, it’s essential to understand how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are woven into various sections, including human behavior, crisis intervention, ethics, and treatment planning. Keep these key points in mind:

  • Recognize stress responses: Identify whether the client is exhibiting fight, flight, freeze, or fawn behaviors based on the case study descriptions.
  • Tailor interventions: Select appropriate interventions that address the specific stress response. For example, grounding techniques for freeze, or motivational interviewing for fawn.
  • Ethical decision-making: Ensure that client autonomy and informed consent are respected, especially when stress responses may impair decision-making.
  • Crisis response: In scenarios where clients are in crisis, be ready to use trauma-informed care principles to stabilize them and provide immediate support.

By mastering these concepts and their application, you’ll be better equipped to tackle the ASWB exam and provide effective, trauma-sensitive care to clients in your future Social Work practice.

Learn more additional tips and tricks for the ASWB exam and get hundreds of practice questions with Agents of Change!

3) Real-World Examples of Stress Responses in Social Work Practice

As a Social Worker, one of your most critical roles is recognizing and responding to the stress reactions your clients exhibit. Understanding fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses helps you navigate challenging situations and tailor your interventions to the client’s specific needs. Whether you’re working with trauma survivors, people in crisis, or individuals facing chronic stress, recognizing these stress responses helps you create a safer, more effective therapeutic environment.

Let’s dive into real-world examples of how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses might manifest in Social Work practice and how you can address them. These examples will illustrate how these stress responses look in different client contexts and provide practical insights into the interventions that can best serve each client.

Example 1: Fight Response in Clients with Trauma Histories

The fight response is the body’s instinct to confront a perceived threat head-on. In the context of trauma, clients may engage in behaviors that appear aggressive, defensive, or confrontational when they feel unsafe or triggered. While these reactions can be challenging to manage, it’s crucial to recognize that these behaviors are often survival mechanisms that have developed over time.

Scenario: Aggressive Teenager in Foster Care

Consider a scenario where a 16-year-old boy named Jason, who has been in and out of foster homes for years, frequently lashes out during therapy sessions. He becomes defensive when asked about his family history and refuses to participate in discussions about his future. His aggressive behavior often disrupts sessions, and his foster parents report similar issues at home.

Jason’s behavior is a classic example of the fight response. His aggression and defensiveness are protective mechanisms that have developed as a way to cope with feelings of abandonment, instability, and fear. His traumatic history has led him to perceive authority figures—like Social Workers and foster parents—as potential threats, triggering his fight response.

Intervention for Fight Response

To work effectively with Jason, it’s important to avoid escalating the situation by confronting his aggression head-on. Instead, you could:

  • Create a safe environment: Focus on building trust by establishing a consistent, non-judgmental presence. Avoid pressing too hard on sensitive topics until Jason feels more secure.
  • Validate his emotions: Acknowledge his frustration and anger without condoning the aggressive behavior. Phrases like, “I see that you’re upset, and that’s okay, but let’s talk about why you’re feeling this way” can help de-escalate the situation.
  • Teach coping skills: Help Jason develop healthier ways to express his emotions, such as deep breathing techniques or using “I” statements to describe his feelings.

Over time, by addressing the root of Jason’s aggression and providing him with safer outlets for his emotions, you can help him reduce his reliance on the fight response as a coping mechanism.

Example 2: Flight Response in Clients Avoiding Emotional Pain

The flight response is characterized by an individual’s instinct to escape or avoid stressful situations. In the context of Social Work, the flight response can manifest as avoidance—clients may physically withdraw by skipping sessions or emotionally detach by avoiding difficult conversations. This response is common in clients dealing with trauma or overwhelming emotional stress.

Scenario: Grief Avoidance in a Recently Widowed Client

Imagine you’re working with Susan, a 52-year-old woman who has recently lost her husband of 30 years. While Susan initially sought out grief counseling, she now often cancels sessions at the last minute and, when she does attend, avoids discussing her husband or her feelings of loss. Instead, she focuses on unrelated, surface-level topics like her work or day-to-day routines.

Susan’s avoidance is a clear example of the flight response. Confronting her grief feels too overwhelming, and she has emotionally “fled” from the pain by sidestepping it altogether. She may fear being overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions if she allows herself to engage fully with the loss.

Intervention for Flight Response

To support Susan in confronting her grief without overwhelming her, you can use the following strategies:

  • Gently challenge avoidance: Encourage Susan to gradually confront her emotions by asking open-ended questions that guide her back to the topic of grief. For instance, “I notice we haven’t talked much about your husband lately. How are you feeling about that right now?”
  • Break down the process: Suggest small, manageable steps for Susan to take in facing her grief. This could include journaling about one positive memory of her husband or sharing a specific emotion she’s been feeling recently.
  • Use grounding techniques: When Susan becomes uncomfortable, introduce grounding techniques like deep breathing or mindfulness exercises to help her stay present without feeling overwhelmed.

Over time, these interventions can help Susan gradually face her grief while reducing her reliance on avoidance as a coping mechanism. The key is to create a therapeutic space where she feels safe enough to confront her emotions at her own pace.

Example 3: Freeze Response in Clients Overwhelmed by Crisis

The freeze response occurs when a person feels immobilized by stress or fear, unable to take action or make decisions. This reaction often stems from feeling powerless or overwhelmed by the situation at hand. In Social Work, clients exhibiting the freeze response may appear emotionally numb, indecisive, or stuck, unable to move forward with important decisions or actions.

Scenario: Homeless Client Stuck in Inaction

Consider a client named Derek, a 45-year-old man who has recently become homeless after losing his job and being evicted from his apartment. Derek is overwhelmed by his situation and, despite multiple offers of help, has been unable to make any decisions about his next steps. He expresses a sense of hopelessness and feels paralyzed by the enormity of his problems.

Derek’s behavior is indicative of the freeze response. Faced with a crisis that feels insurmountable, he is emotionally and cognitively “frozen,” unable to take action even when support is available. This response is common in individuals who feel overwhelmed by stress or trauma, as the brain’s decision-making abilities shut down in the face of extreme pressure.

Intervention for Freeze Response

To help Derek break out of his freeze response, it’s important to focus on re-engaging his sense of agency and control:

  • Simplify decision-making: Offer Derek small, manageable choices to help him regain a sense of control. For example, ask him to choose between two potential next steps, like scheduling a meeting with a housing support worker or visiting a local shelter.
  • Provide reassurance: Reassure Derek that it’s okay to feel stuck and that you’re there to support him through the process. Let him know that he doesn’t have to solve everything at once.
  • Grounding techniques: Use grounding exercises to help Derek stay present in the moment, which can reduce his sense of overwhelm. Simple techniques like asking him to focus on his surroundings or take deep breaths can help him regain clarity.

By breaking down the situation into smaller, more manageable parts and offering clear, guided choices, you can help Derek move past his freeze response and begin taking steps toward resolving his crisis.

Example 4: Fawn Response in Clients with a History of Abuse

The fawn response involves appeasing or accommodating a perceived threat in order to avoid conflict or harm. Clients who exhibit the fawn response are often people-pleasers, willing to sacrifice their own needs to maintain peace, particularly if they have a history of abuse or trauma. This response can prevent clients from advocating for themselves or setting boundaries, as they prioritize others’ needs over their own.

Scenario: Client in a Codependent Relationship

Imagine you are working with Maria, a 29-year-old woman who has been in a long-term, emotionally abusive relationship. Throughout your sessions, Maria repeatedly justifies her partner’s controlling behavior and goes to great lengths to avoid conflict, even if it means sacrificing her own well-being. She expresses fear of upsetting her partner and often changes her behavior to keep the peace at home.

Maria’s behavior exemplifies the fawn response. As a survival mechanism, she has learned to appease her partner to avoid further emotional harm. This response has become ingrained, making it difficult for her to assert her own needs or recognize her own worth.

Intervention for Fawn Response

To help Maria break free from her fawn response and begin advocating for herself, you can implement the following strategies:

  • Empower self-advocacy: Encourage Maria to recognize her own needs and desires. Start small by helping her set minor boundaries, such as choosing what she wants for dinner or deciding on a self-care activity without deferring to her partner’s preferences.
  • Build self-worth: Work with Maria to rebuild her self-esteem through positive affirmations and therapeutic exercises that focus on her strengths and accomplishments. The more Maria recognizes her value, the easier it will be for her to advocate for herself.
  • Boundary-setting skills: Teach Maria how to set healthy boundaries in her relationship. Role-playing can be an effective tool here, as it allows Maria to practice asserting her needs in a safe environment before applying those skills in her relationship.

By focusing on building Maria’s confidence and empowering her to take small steps toward self-advocacy, you can help her move away from the fawn response and develop healthier relationship dynamics.

Key Takeaways for Addressing Stress Responses in Practice

Recognizing the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses in clients is crucial for tailoring your interventions and providing trauma-informed care. Each response represents a unique coping mechanism that clients have developed, often unconsciously, to protect themselves from perceived threats. Understanding these responses allows you to create a therapeutic environment that is sensitive to your clients’ emotional needs and helps them develop healthier ways of coping with stress.

Here are some key takeaways:

  • Fight response: Clients may exhibit anger or defensiveness as a way to protect themselves. De-escalation, validation, and emotion regulation strategies are essential interventions.
  • Flight response: Clients may avoid difficult emotions or situations. Gentle confrontation, grounding techniques, and gradual exposure to stressors can help them face their fears.
  • Freeze response: Clients may feel stuck or unable to make decisions. Offering small, manageable choices and using grounding techniques can help them regain control.
  • Fawn response: Clients may over-accommodate others to avoid conflict. Empowerment, self-worth building, and boundary-setting skills are key to helping them advocate for themselves.

In practice, tailoring your approach to each client’s unique stress response ensures that you meet them where they are, providing support that is both compassionate and effective. Recognizing and addressing these responses will not only improve your practice as a Social Worker but also enhance the outcomes for your clients as they work through their challenges.

4) FAQs – Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn and ASWB Exam

Q: How can I recognize the difference between a client’s fight response and typical anger or frustration in a session?

A: Recognizing the fight response versus typical frustration requires understanding the context and intensity of the client’s reaction. In a fight response, the client’s anger or defensiveness is usually disproportionate to the situation at hand and may stem from underlying feelings of fear, trauma, or insecurity.

These clients often feel threatened—even if there is no immediate danger—and their reaction is a protective mechanism rather than just a response to a particular event. Signs that it might be a fight response include:

  • Hypervigilance: The client may seem overly alert or ready to defend themselves, even in neutral or safe situations.
  • Irritability or aggression: This often manifests quickly and intensely when sensitive topics are raised.
  • Defensiveness: Clients may reject advice or help, interpreting it as criticism or a challenge to their autonomy. In these cases, de-escalation techniques, validating their feelings, and creating a sense of safety in the session are crucial to avoid further conflict or shutdown.

Q: What should I do if my client continually avoids talking about important issues, such as trauma or grief?

A: When clients avoid difficult topics—like trauma, grief, or personal challenges—they may be exhibiting the flight response. It’s essential to approach this avoidance with care, as pushing too hard can exacerbate their anxiety or lead to further avoidance. Here are strategies to address the flight response:

  • Start small: Encourage the client to take small steps toward confronting the difficult issue. For example, ask them to share one thought or feeling related to the topic, rather than diving into the full story.
  • Use grounding techniques: Help the client stay present in the session by using grounding exercises like deep breathing, mindfulness, or physical grounding (e.g., feeling the texture of an object). These techniques can reduce the client’s urge to flee emotionally.
  • Build trust: Establishing a secure, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship is key. Clients are more likely to engage with difficult topics when they feel safe and supported. Avoid pushing the topic too soon, and instead, focus on creating an environment where the client feels comfortable facing their emotions at their own pace.

Q: What are the best ways to empower clients who show the fawn response in relationships, especially when they have a history of abuse?

A: Clients who exhibit the fawn response, particularly those with a history of abuse or trauma, often struggle with asserting their needs and setting boundaries. They may prioritize pleasing others to avoid conflict, often at the expense of their well-being.

Empowering these clients requires a gentle, affirming approach that gradually builds their confidence and ability to advocate for themselves. Here are effective interventions:

  • Focus on self-worth: Encourage clients to reflect on their strengths, accomplishments, and inherent value. Regularly affirm their worth during sessions and introduce exercises, such as journaling, to reinforce their self-esteem.
  • Teach boundary-setting: Help clients practice asserting their needs in low-risk environments, such as during role-play exercises. Gradually work toward real-life applications, such as setting small boundaries in personal relationships, and support them in feeling confident when doing so.
  • Encourage gradual assertiveness: Start with small, manageable tasks, like having the client express a preference in everyday situations. Over time, increase the difficulty of these tasks to build their assertiveness and self-confidence. Incorporating these interventions can help clients move from over-accommodating others to establishing healthier, balanced relationships where their needs are respected.
 

5) Conclusion

Understanding the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses is essential for effective Social Work practice, particularly when working with clients who have experienced trauma, chronic stress, or crisis. These responses are not merely emotional reactions; they are deeply ingrained survival mechanisms that influence how clients cope with challenges in their lives.

As a Social Worker, recognizing these patterns allows you to meet clients where they are, offering tailored interventions that support healing and resilience. Whether it’s de-escalating a fight response, gently confronting a flight response, or empowering a client stuck in fawn or freeze, your approach can make all the difference in their journey toward recovery.

These concepts are also tested extensively on the ASWB exam, where you will encounter case studies and scenarios that require you to identify and address stress responses in a practical, thoughtful way. The ability to recognize these behaviors in clients and choose appropriate interventions—whether in moments of crisis, during assessments, or in ethical decision-making—will be crucial to your success on the exam and in your career. By mastering how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses manifest in clients, you’re not only preparing to pass the ASWB exam but also gaining valuable skills for working with clients facing significant challenges.

6) ASWB Practice Question: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn

A 40-year-old client, Lisa, who has experienced a history of domestic abuse, frequently agrees with her therapist’s recommendations without offering her own input. She often apologizes for taking up too much of the therapist’s time, despite reassurance that her feelings and concerns are important. What stress response is Lisa most likely exhibiting?

A) Fight
B) Flight
C) Freeze
D) Fawn

Correct Answer: D) Fawn

Rationale:
Lisa’s behavior, characterized by constant agreement with the therapist and excessive apologizing, aligns with the fawn response. The fawn response involves an individual appeasing or accommodating others to avoid conflict, often seen in those who have experienced trauma, particularly abuse.

Lisa is prioritizing the therapist’s perceived needs and seeking to avoid any conflict by agreeing, which is typical of the fawn response.

  • A) Fight is incorrect because the fight response is marked by aggression or defensiveness, which Lisa is not displaying.
  • B) Flight is incorrect because the flight response would involve avoidance or withdrawal from the situation, rather than engagement.
  • C) Freeze is incorrect because the freeze response would involve inaction or being unable to make decisions, whereas Lisa is actively engaging, although passively, in the sessions.
 

► Learn more about the Agents of Change course here: https://agentsofchangeprep.com

About the Instructor, Meagan Mitchell: Meagan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been providing individualized and group test prep for the ASWB for over 8 years. From all of this experience helping others pass their exams, she created the Agents of Change course to help you prepare for and pass the ASWB exam!

Find more from Agents of Change here:

► Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aswbtestprep

► Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/agents-of-change-sw

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Disclaimer: This content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment

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