fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.

Fawning is sometimes referred to as “ people-pleasing.” When someone is fawning, they may appear overly cooperative or helpful, sometimes to their own detriment.

Previously known as appeasement or “people pleasing”, the term “fawning” was coined by psychotherapist Pete Walker in his 2013 book Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. A fawn response can look like: people-pleasing (doing things for others to gain their approval or to make others like you)

If someone is fawning, it often means they are trying to cope with complex trauma by appeasing others—sometimes including an abuser. When growing up in a dangerous environment, some people become aggressive (fight response), while others run away (flight response), while others still are unable to make a decision (freeze response).