Different children have different styles of adaptation to threat. Some children use a primary hyperarousal response, while others adapt a primary dissociative response. Most children, however, adopt some combination of these two adaptive styles.

In the fearful child, a defiant stance is often seen. This is typically interpreted as a willful and controlling child. Rather than understanding the behavior as related to fear, adults often respond to the "oppositional" behavior by becoming angrier and even more demanding.

The child, over-reading the nonverbal cues of the frustrated and angry adult, feels more threatened and moves from alarm to fear to terror. These children may end up in a primitive "mini-psychotic" regression or in a very combative state. Their behavior of the child reflects their attempts to adapt and respond to a perceived (or misperceived) threat.