We all like to think that we are capable of defending ourselves against violence and overt aggression should the need arise , in whatever form it may take.
Whether it is protecting our loved ones, or ourselves , by either active retaliation or simple retreat from the threat , both have the effect of potentially removing the threatening situation from our immediate space. If it is a successful action and the threat is removed by whatever means, it bolsters our belief in ourselves and strengthens the confidence in our abilities to handle confrontational situations.
If it goes awry, it damages the same, and if the situation ends in either trauma or violence upon the person, it can escalate the loss of confidence to the point of the victim becoming depressed and/or unable to respond to further attack effectively.
It only takes a brief look around, to see that violence, aggression and hostility exist the world over,and can pervade almost every aspect of life and social interaction, from an angry customer thinking they've been ripped off, to the guy loitering around a shop to mug the unwary.
We all have our individual "tells" that we look for in a potential threat, whether that threat is a physical one, or a perceived one coming from some form of interaction. (Im referring solely to human interaction and threat here). These "tells" feed our mind with the information that dictates our response to whatever is going on and the more accurate we are at deciphering those signals for our own benefits, the more likely a successful outcome is achieved.
On the whole, people who have been/or are in involved in potentially hostile jobs, hobbies , training or living situation, have a better grasp on threat assessment and the use of signals exhibited by the threat/aggression than those who do not.
However , there are often times when a trained or conditioned individual , becomes overcome by their attacker/threat , despite being proficient in defense or threat control. This can be due to a misjudgment, an impairment from injury or illness , or the big one ....EGO.
My questions to you guys are :
1 : What are the some of the initial "tells" or signals , that warn you that you may actually be in danger ( and by danger I mean a threat to either your physical self OR your pride and self esteem).
What do you look for , what triggers it ?
2: What is your usual response to your initial warning ?
3: and last but not least, what role does your ego play in your response ?
Again, I am referring to human threat here, whether online, in public or at home. Of course the response varies with online interaction as opposed to the other, but Im interested in the variations of them, and how people view them.