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The science of threat or challenge activation is based on the work of Social Psychologist, Jim Blascovich, and Sport Psychologist, Marc Jones.
It demonstrates how our body responds to the way we are perceiving a goal - engage or disengage.
Those processes either drive us to engage to meet the challenge or to walk away from it.
Those are actual physical changes in the body – One study found, the heart beats faster and harder when experiencing both challenge and threat but challenge results in dilated arteries (which is a physical opening or expanding) and more blood pumped, and threat results in constriction (or closing off) and less blood pumped (Seery, 2013).
One is physically empowering us to act and one is reducing our resources to pull us back or hinder us from acting.
The science of threat or challenge show we’re likely to see a task or goal as a threat if
1) we doubt our ability to achieve it,
2) we don’t believe we have sufficient resources or control to do the work required to achieve it,
3) and we’re focused on what we don’t want rather than what we do want.
An example of that is – I don’t want to be stuck in a low wage job forever.
We’re likely to see it as a challenge if
1) we believe we can achieve it
2) We believe we have enough control or resources to do the work required to achieve it,
3) and we have identified self-chosen approach goals (I want to take this career path because…)
An example of that is - I want to become qualified for a fulfilling career.