I got upset, I got angry, and it caused me not to act rational.
Amygdala hijack takes place when the structure triggers the fight-or-flight reaction when it is not warranted. The person is then unable to come to their own rational conclusion about how to react. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/amygdala-hijack#causes
When we have a disagreement or an argument the primal part of our brain takes over. It triggers our fight or flight response. During amygdala hijack, a person may react in a way that they could regret later. This may include being aggressive, argumentative, or violent in a manner that is dramatically out of proportion to the situation.
How to prevent the hijacking
You can ease the symptoms of amygdala hijack by being aware of the situation. Over time, they may also be able to stop them altogether.
If you feel the symptoms of amygdala hijack beginning to appear, it is important focus on staying calm, you should try to take a break and walk away from the situation that has triggered this response. This will help you calm down, and my be able to think rationally think about the situation and decide on a more appropriate response to the stressor.
Understanding how you react to stressful situations when you are discussing / negotiating scope of work on a project will help you with a positive outcome.
This could mean thinking about previous instances of amygdala hijack in order to see what triggered the response.
In doing this, the person may be able to prevent such a response in the future
The Black Swan group touches base on this in a negotiation watch the video for some insight into your brain.
Comments