Centering yourself, connecting with the aggressor, channeling the attack so that neither you nor your aggressor gets hurt, and safely concluding the interaction constitute four essential steps to reaching a peaceful conflict resolution–even in the face of conflict potentially involving physical harm. The author uses these steps as the basis for what he calls “the 4Cs model.” Transactional analysis provides the operational concepts underlying the 4Cs and reveals how they work, while the Japanese martial art of aikido, which focuses on stopping conflict before it starts and on establishing harmony, offers practical techniques and a unifying metaphor. The 4Cs are described in detail, and aikido classes for children are used as a case study to discuss how to teach autonomy “through the body.”
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