tertiary · Masked

Submissive

Part of the Nervous System States Wheel

What is Submissive?

Deferring to others' wishes to avoid conflict — the fawn response says 'your comfort is safer than my truth.'

When you might feel submissive

Submissive is a specific form of compliant, which itself is a type of masked. You might experience this feeling in situations where masked is present, particularly when the circumstances align with the nuances that define submissive.

Emotional Hierarchy

MaskedCompliantSubmissive

Explore Submissive on the Interactive Wheel

Use our free interactive feeling wheel to explore submissive and discover related emotions.

Open Nervous System States Wheel

Related Emotions

Yielding

Giving way reflexively — not from generosity but from a deep-seated belief that ...

Pretending

Showing a face that doesn't match the inner state — managing others' perceptions...

Forced

Smiling, agreeing, laughing — but from the outside in. A protective performance ...

Silenced

The experience of having something important to say and choosing — or being forc...

Hidden

Keeping your real feelings, needs, and reactions out of view to avoid the percei...

Accommodating

Shaping yourself around others' needs as a survival strategy — the nervous syste...

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