Polyvagal Theory
Stephen Porges's 1995 account of the autonomic nervous system, whose physiological premises specialists continue to discuss.
What it is
An account of the autonomic nervous system as three ordered circuits: a newer one for social engagement and safety, a sympathetic one for fight or flight, and an older one for shutdown. It has become common vocabulary in wellness writing, and specialists dispute its physiological premises.
In effect
The article on the vagus nerve reset links to it as related background, because wellness language borrows its terms.
What it does not say
The three-circuit hierarchy is contested, and Porges has published a response to his critics. It does not say that vagal activity is unimportant, only that the specific account is under debate.
Sources
- Porges, S. W. (1995). Orienting in a defensive world: Mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A polyvagal theory. Psychophysiology, 32(4), 301-318.