Buttons

We all have "buttons" that get get pushed by events in our lives and trigger our automatic response. This is part of our nature, and important for survival. There are times when danger is present and if we don't immediately react somebody's going to get hurt. On the other hand, humans have self awareness and the ability to modify and choose their actions to achieve higher level and longer term goals.

How can we recognize our "buttons" and those of others, and come up with better ways to deal with these automatic responses?