Which concept refers to the autonomic nervous system arousal (elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing) along with a subjective sense of terror in response to danger?

Which concept refers to the autonomic nervous system arousal (elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing) along with a subjective sense of terror in response to danger?

• A. Panic
• B. Fear Response
• C. Anxiety
• D. Fear

Answer: (B)

When a threat is present, the body’s immediate reaction is the fear response. The autonomic nervous system kicks in a fight-or-flight reaction, causing arousal: faster heartbeat, higher blood pressure, and quicker, deeper breathing. At the same time, you experience a conscious sense of terror or fear. This combination—physiological arousal plus an emotional sense of danger—is what defines the fear response. This differs from anxiety, which is more about ongoing, diffuse worry and tension that isn’t tied to an immediate threat, and from panic, which is a sudden, intense surge of fear that peaks quickly and comes with a cluster of intense physical symptoms. Since the prompt centers on both the bodily arousal and the felt terror in response to danger, the fear response is the best fit.

When a threat is present, the body’s immediate reaction is the fear response. The autonomic nervous system kicks in a fight-or-flight reaction, causing arousal: faster heartbeat, higher blood pressure, and quicker, deeper breathing. At the same time, you experience a conscious sense of terror or fear. This combination—physiological arousal plus an emotional sense of danger—is what defines the fear response.

This differs from anxiety, which is more about ongoing, diffuse worry and tension that isn’t tied to an immediate threat, and from panic, which is a sudden, intense surge of fear that peaks quickly and comes with a cluster of intense physical symptoms. Since the prompt centers on both the bodily arousal and the felt terror in response to danger, the fear response is the best fit.