WEBVTT

dc34843a-97b3-4bf0-ae37-cfd823922487-0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.600
[Soft music]

00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:11.495
[Speaker Tish Jennings]:
Psychologist Paul Gilbert has developed a
model to help us understand our survival

dc34843a-97b3-4bf0-ae37-cfd823922487-1
00:00:11.495 --> 00:00:13.200
systems as human beings.

4c66195c-1c1e-4875-a389-434875b61b37-0
00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:18.320
The way he's articulated is that we have
these three primary survival systems.

ddd8c75a-1c69-43bb-a836-e4dad7601c26-0
00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:22.282
The first one is the threat system,
and most of us are very familiar with

ddd8c75a-1c69-43bb-a836-e4dad7601c26-1
00:00:22.282 --> 00:00:22.520
this.

8dda6df6-899a-4729-a390-aeee4eac3ae7-0
00:00:22.520 --> 00:00:27.308
This is the fight,
flight or free system that activates when

8dda6df6-899a-4729-a390-aeee4eac3ae7-1
00:00:27.308 --> 00:00:28.800
we feel threatened.

627e7f93-7189-42ed-be10-fddca8f3078e-0
00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:34.620
The second one is the drive system,
which is associated with achievement,

627e7f93-7189-42ed-be10-fddca8f3078e-1
00:00:34.620 --> 00:00:35.480
competition.

5c341349-b60f-4731-b009-78f1b3a83ba4-0
00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:39.640
The third system is what he calls the
affiliation system.

c65c9393-a916-4274-a70f-f033de18c55c-0
00:00:40.040 --> 00:00:44.670
This is the system that's associated with
compassion and care, connection,

c65c9393-a916-4274-a70f-f033de18c55c-1
00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:45.720
human connection.

ccf70061-3e69-479d-8b1f-ad98ad28f01e-0
00:00:46.120 --> 00:00:50.000
All of these three drives are critical to
our survival.

94d3e6d4-302e-4ba1-870f-52a547478bb8-0
00:00:50.400 --> 00:00:55.627
However, in our society today,
our media and our, some of our experiences

94d3e6d4-302e-4ba1-870f-52a547478bb8-1
00:00:55.627 --> 00:00:59.280
in the world seem to accentuate the
threat system.

895b575c-4091-42d3-8d46-8cd2f28d46f5-0
00:00:59.680 --> 00:01:03.220
Because in our society we've learned that
the threat system,

895b575c-4091-42d3-8d46-8cd2f28d46f5-1
00:01:03.220 --> 00:01:07.921
we can use the threat system to motivate
people to engage in things that we want

895b575c-4091-42d3-8d46-8cd2f28d46f5-2
00:01:07.921 --> 00:01:08.560
them to do.

1699ced6-8911-4f20-b28a-3986991b8c8a-0
00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.160
In other words, manipulate other people.

f84dc960-5010-46c2-9f00-1e98ac200884-0
00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:18.415
So the other thing at the same time,
the affiliation system is often very

f84dc960-5010-46c2-9f00-1e98ac200884-1
00:01:18.415 --> 00:01:19.880
neglected. Indeed,

9b8293d5-1dad-4ca5-84ab-e96f7120a3b3-0
00:01:19.880 --> 00:01:23.636
in our school systems,
we often use the threat system to

9b8293d5-1dad-4ca5-84ab-e96f7120a3b3-1
00:01:23.636 --> 00:01:25.680
activate the motivation system.

ca48a5cf-5378-4ab6-9574-91439d578ef5-0
00:01:26.360 --> 00:01:31.080
And that's not a very healthy way to
promote learning in our environments.

5849bbd8-bfb5-4d79-8a16-65c30fa27f23-0
00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:36.514
We now know that because the threat
system actually can impair our capacity

5849bbd8-bfb5-4d79-8a16-65c30fa27f23-1
00:01:36.514 --> 00:01:40.089
to learn.
We're going to learn a lot about how we

5849bbd8-bfb5-4d79-8a16-65c30fa27f23-2
00:01:40.089 --> 00:01:45.237
can reduce feelings of threat and
accentuate feelings of compassion and

5849bbd8-bfb5-4d79-8a16-65c30fa27f23-3
00:01:45.237 --> 00:01:50.314
connection and, and affiliation,
and that by doing that we can actually

5849bbd8-bfb5-4d79-8a16-65c30fa27f23-4
00:01:50.314 --> 00:01:52.960
promote better learning environments.

e68f03ec-d212-47d1-b953-d8d0e353e53b-0
00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:59.700
So when we are feeling threat,
when the threat system is activated,

e68f03ec-d212-47d1-b953-d8d0e353e53b-1
00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:06.695
it triggers a whole cascade of biological
and psychological processes. Our, some

e68f03ec-d212-47d1-b953-d8d0e353e53b-2
00:02:06.695 --> 00:02:10.680
neurotransmitters and hormones just kick
in.

08409dd5-7b90-4ef3-8578-6b019812789f-0
00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:15.480
And this is intended to help us survive
real physical threat.

c35a41d2-1e64-4f6b-b1e2-6d4970aec7b7-0
00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:21.305
So human beings evolved so that when
we're, this system, is activated,

c35a41d2-1e64-4f6b-b1e2-6d4970aec7b7-1
00:02:21.305 --> 00:02:25.960
we can run really,
really fast or fight in order to survive.

744403ab-6386-4951-8f40-521c27f4bc5b-0
00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:34.048
The affiliation system, in contrast,
is evolved from our bonds with our

744403ab-6386-4951-8f40-521c27f4bc5b-1
00:02:34.048 --> 00:02:37.240
caregivers, the infant caregiver bond.

007aad62-a089-4ad6-9d63-426ff692931a-0
00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.568
Without that bond,
human beings would never have survived

007aad62-a089-4ad6-9d63-426ff692931a-1
00:02:41.568 --> 00:02:46.121
because the infants come into the world
very incapable of doing anything,

007aad62-a089-4ad6-9d63-426ff692931a-2
00:02:46.121 --> 00:02:50.120
and they really rely on the adults around
them to care for them.

14da39e4-10e0-41a1-8b4b-5e72421a77dd-0
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:56.400
So as human beings,
we also rely on our connection with our

14da39e4-10e0-41a1-8b4b-5e72421a77dd-1
00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:57.280
community.

abfec4c4-6445-465f-9d6b-d4a19cf61956-0
00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:02.988
We could not survive by ourselves,
so this connection between the parent and

abfec4c4-6445-465f-9d6b-d4a19cf61956-1
00:03:02.988 --> 00:03:08.698
the caregiver evolved to grow into the
connections with our larger community and

abfec4c4-6445-465f-9d6b-d4a19cf61956-2
00:03:08.698 --> 00:03:10.320
ultimately to everyone.

53138bb1-b2a2-4f58-9e31-f296c831d778-0
00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:15.109
So as educators,
we need to work to reduce feelings of

53138bb1-b2a2-4f58-9e31-f296c831d778-1
00:03:15.109 --> 00:03:17.800
stress in our learning environments.

48f7c856-df71-4850-85ff-38c865a9b83f-0
00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.671
A lot of research recently has shown that
the prefrontal cortex,

48f7c856-df71-4850-85ff-38c865a9b83f-1
00:03:22.671 --> 00:03:26.245
this part of our brain,
is really important to the learning

48f7c856-df71-4850-85ff-38c865a9b83f-2
00:03:26.245 --> 00:03:29.759
activities that we are trying to promote
in our classroom.

da2d6d05-d33e-4f0f-81cf-3dec6cdcec5a-0
00:03:30.440 --> 00:03:35.909
The prefrontal cortex helps us plan,
it helps us make good decisions,

da2d6d05-d33e-4f0f-81cf-3dec6cdcec5a-1
00:03:35.909 --> 00:03:38.800
it helps us engage in working memory.

3b90edec-a85e-44b3-8017-3ba5ed5cbcdc-0
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.099
So the kinds of things that our students
need to learn,

3b90edec-a85e-44b3-8017-3ba5ed5cbcdc-1
00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:46.930
where they have to remember something or
inhibit their tendency to be distracted,

3b90edec-a85e-44b3-8017-3ba5ed5cbcdc-2
00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:50.760
those are all the important functions of
this part of our brain.

901a2f35-d779-4fff-86b1-db0ee0d93774-0
00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.294
They're also critical to our ability to
understand another person's perspective

901a2f35-d779-4fff-86b1-db0ee0d93774-1
00:03:56.294 --> 00:03:58.000
and social decision making.

81b6435a-6489-4482-9050-d1de436310e0-0
00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:01.898
However,
when the threat response or the threat

81b6435a-6489-4482-9050-d1de436310e0-1
00:04:01.898 --> 00:04:05.987
system is activated,
the pre, the functions of the, prefrontal

81b6435a-6489-4482-9050-d1de436310e0-2
00:04:05.987 --> 00:04:08.200
cortex are, are not prioritized.

f2b4fcfc-0f34-4181-8df7-717cbf781f0e-0
00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.560
There's other priorities that take over.

85f444bf-c1b4-4da8-8009-8f440fc41aec-0
00:04:12.200 --> 00:04:17.080
And so those functions don't work as well
when we're feeling stress.

2b7faeb3-89cb-4801-b4d6-a9a34aaaff7e-0
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:22.192
So an important part of helping our
students learn these skills is to create

2b7faeb3-89cb-4801-b4d6-a9a34aaaff7e-1
00:04:22.192 --> 00:04:24.640
environments where everybody feels safe.

7e42b857-1c79-4140-a596-27d27842b07d-0
00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.245
Also,
we now know that high levels of stress

7e42b857-1c79-4140-a596-27d27842b07d-1
00:04:28.245 --> 00:04:32.960
over long periods of time can interfere
with social and emotional development.

8372534c-eedd-443f-bae7-df124a115803-0
00:04:33.520 --> 00:04:39.120
So this threat system that we've been
talking about evolved to help us survive

8372534c-eedd-443f-bae7-df124a115803-1
00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.240
when our, when we are physically
threatened.

aa8081f4-c5a5-48c6-964d-df30191c2e9f-0
00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:46.394
So, for example,
if a lion were chasing us and we had to

aa8081f4-c5a5-48c6-964d-df30191c2e9f-1
00:04:46.394 --> 00:04:49.789
run really,
really fast and try to find a tree and

aa8081f4-c5a5-48c6-964d-df30191c2e9f-2
00:04:49.789 --> 00:04:52.917
run up that tree to somehow manage to
survive,

aa8081f4-c5a5-48c6-964d-df30191c2e9f-3
00:04:52.917 --> 00:04:57.044
these neurotransmitters and hormones give
us this adrenaline,

aa8081f4-c5a5-48c6-964d-df30191c2e9f-4
00:04:57.044 --> 00:05:00.040
this extra strength that gets us to
survive.

39efc47f-7381-4e03-8582-497b404acce0-0
00:05:00.840 --> 00:05:04.088
However,
today this same system kicks in when

39efc47f-7381-4e03-8582-497b404acce0-1
00:05:04.088 --> 00:05:06.560
we're feeling psychological stress.

8d0005b3-409e-4169-b96d-890bf4af7b05-0
00:05:07.440 --> 00:05:10.000
We might have had a conflict with a work
partner.

cd32007f-6e3a-4b55-b5a0-f5054af21951-0
00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.320
We might have a parent might have said
something that upset us.

9c179a34-e33f-4cf0-94c0-27b133e942ca-0
00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:15.880
One of our students might be disruptive.

cef5adaa-a738-4e8d-a0a1-94e4668cd54d-0
00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:21.267
These kinds of stressors,
these kinds of feelings of threat,

cef5adaa-a738-4e8d-a0a1-94e4668cd54d-1
00:05:21.267 --> 00:05:24.800
the threat system does not handle very
well.

610c7a49-b2f0-457e-97f2-afc1b5084706-0
00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:30.160
We're not being chased by a lion,
but our body thinks that we are.

59bf84ae-d7c2-4be9-b984-fa81167207a0-0
00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:37.224
And so one of the things that we now know
is that if we can find ways to overcome

59bf84ae-d7c2-4be9-b984-fa81167207a0-1
00:05:37.224 --> 00:05:42.160
those automatic tendencies to react with
the threat system,

59bf84ae-d7c2-4be9-b984-fa81167207a0-2
00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:48.000
we can calm ourselves down and respond in
a way that's more effective.

00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.000
[Soft music]