The Unified Theory of the Nervous System
and Behavior
Cognitive Philosophy /Brain Theory by Steven Michael Harris
Look for subtle patterns and you might find that stress can affect a body in specific ways quickly or slowly, temporarily or permanently, and might be influenced by genetics or environment. Stress is inherent in the language of the system. Stress can be collected. Stress creates the expression of disorders and deficits.
An animal in the wild is surviving well in a supportive environment. It is well-fed and sleeps soundly when able. When on the hunt it has clear focus and seeks food in the usual places with little change in routine as supplies are reliable. It gets along well with other members of its pack. There is no need to fight over the spoils as there is enough to go around. It’s reflexes are quick and confident. It has an easy ability to keep a strong focus on an object of interest. It is able to patiently wait for the approach of a meal without giving up its cover or forcing an early chase. Should this meal go away another will come along. It is willing to wait its turn in mating as there are enough mates to go around as well.
But the level of stress increases in this animal’s life and changes appear in its behavior. This increase in stress could develop over months or in seconds.
In a fast example another animal is traveling in its herd when suddenly a predator begins to chase down the group looking for lunch. The situation is stressful and stimulating as the herd members begin to run for their lives. At (what I'm now calling) the first level of stress the herd members are drawn to one another and the animals close ranks. Emotional attachments are stronger as herd members seek out the safety of the community, and parents strive to look after their young.
Stress increases for the animals closest to the predator and most in danger. At this second level of stress their movements are less aligned with the greater part of the herd. They are moving faster trying to reach safety and they shift directions more often. Emotional connections are still strong at this stage with animals darting between their young and the predator in attempts to decoy the danger away from their offspring.
When the predator gets very close to one or two herd members these herd animals reach the third level of stress and the movement has no focus at all. No longer in control of the situation these animals in the greatest danger are changing directions chaotically. Reaction times are quicker. Emotions are extreme - anger and fear. Emotional connections are no longer strong as they forget their offspring under the stress of fending for their lives. No other individual exists in the mind but the dangerous enemy. Hearing is very alert in response to the sound of every growl, broken twig, footfall and breath from behind. Eyes are more sensitive and looking for any glimpse of movement or for the color of the predator as seen through peripheral vision during the chase. The sense of touch is shutting down. They are no longer able to feel the thorns as they scramble through brush and will keep moving at full speed ignoring pulled muscles, broken limbs, clawed backsides.
When an animal is captured it reaches the fourth level of stress. It no longer has reason as it fights for its life. It fights blindly. Other senses are now shutting down as it can no longer make sense of sights and sounds. In a state of confusion it is spared much pain as the sense of touch becomes shut down but for the response to a few extreme insults to its body as it is being eaten. The animal goes into a trance, withdraws from the effort of resisting, falls into coma, then dies.
In an animal example of a slower progression of stress, the herd is beginning to starve as drought is making food sources scarce:
In the first level of stress the herd pulls together and begins moving to another area for grazing, repeating a usual route. Parents nurse their young or lead them to whatever food is available. Sexual activity increases.
When sufficient food is still not found and hunger increases, the second level of stress is reached. Animals still stay close to their offspring but the herd disperses over a much wider area and connections to the group diminish as the herd explores untried territory seeking food. Some animals lose the herd entirely. The animals change directions more often without as much reason as they will find themselves grazing territory already grazed without success. (Because of the creative unpredictability of their actions under stress, some animals will discover new sources of food and survive when the greater part of the herd will not.) Animals are more sensitive and fights break out between members of the group. Mating becomes more competitive.
At the final levels of stress and starvation the herd barely exists as a group anymore. Animals become disoriented and find themselves isolated. Sexual activity stops. Some parents will ignore their young. Senses of sight, sound, scent are heightened in the hunt for food. Food, if found, would taste better as well. Animals no longer sleep and graze through the night. (With heightened sense of sight it is easier to see in the dark.) They graze previously undesirable ground with deadened sense of touch and able to ignore the pains of stumbling and searching through rough and abrasive growth. Eventually the animal loses reason, moves in circles or becomes catatonic. It might develop twitches and shakiness. It stops trying to eat at the very end. It falls into a coma and dies.
In a third example the animal might be a predator that is hungry and hunting or being hunted with super focus at a high level of stress. It loses the ability to sleep in the final days of the crisis but eventually finds food or escapes its enemy. At this point it finds a safe and dark hiding place and when the fatigue reaches the limit possible for that animal (humans can stay constantly awake about five days) it sleeps soundly for a day or two, much longer than usual, and sleeps off the stress of the crisis.
All animals respond with these kinds of behaviors changing in this order with increasing stress. Humans too. (This progression of characteristics and symptoms follows pretty much the same course in the aging process from youth through geriatrics as well.)
Variations will occur. In nature the different species will have different levels of strength and stress depending on needs for survival and the animal’s place on the food chain. Still, the changes in behavior follow this progression with increase in stress. A predator, for instance, might be a more solitary creature to begin with. This may be genetically programmed into the animal by its having a greater level of stress communicated to a part of the brain responsible for isolating the animal away from herd mentality.
(Consider that ADD, Aspergers and Autism are a range of expression of the same disorder with ADD being mild autism or autism being severe ADD and Aspergers somewhere in the middle.)
Normal Animal:
First Stress Level:
Second Stress Level:
Third Stress Level:
Fourth Stress Level:
ComaDeath |
Attention Deficit Disorder:
Aspergers Disorder:
Autistic Disorder (Kanner’s Autism):
|
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