Fawn Response Assessment

Pete Walker identified the fawn response as the fourth trauma survival strategy alongside fight, flight, and freeze. Where others escape or resist danger, the fawn response placates and appeases — often at the complete expense of the self. It is most common in people raised by narcissistic, abusive, or emotionally unpredictable caregivers.

Fight

Anger, control, aggression

Flight

Avoidance, busyness, perfectionism

Freeze

Dissociation, numbing, collapse

Fawn

Appeasement, pleasing, merging

Automatic Appeasing

Self-Erasure

Relationship Patterns

Somatic Signals

Fawn Response Strength

of items endorsed

Recovery focus