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Which coping strategy is activated depends on the child ’ s history and personality , how the response has worked in the past , and the situation the child is in now . A child who has been sexually abused develops longer term strategies based on its acute survival experiences .
Typical long-term survival strategies
The table below lists long-term survival strategies and how these strategies are expressed .
KEY TO KNOW
Scan / freeze |
Attach |
Flight |
Fight |
Submerge |
Dissociation |
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( shutting |
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down ) |
Focuses on potential threats .
Lacks concentration .
Thinks rigidly . Tense .
Clingy .
Rejects others or feels rejected .
Fears abandonment .
Runs away .
Hides . Isolates . Avoids . Withdraws .
Hyperactive .
Unable to follow through .
Compulsive . Impulsive . Resists . Hits or kicks .
Compliant , submissive , reserved .
Pleasing .
Does not show needs .
Focuses mostly on the needs of others .
Forgetful , daydreams .
Numb , tired . Low energy . Passive . Collapses .
Somatic complaints .
REFLECTION QUESTION
Questions to reflect on
• What kind of survival strategies do you recognise in the children you work with or have responsibility for ?
• In what situations do you think survival strategies are activated ?
• What functions do survival strategies have for a child ?