Between Rationality and Intuition: A Social Psychology Approach to Ex?Combatant Children in Colombia

Abstract

Throughout its history, Colombia has been marked by different forms of violence. The involvement of children as soldiers is a phenomenon that recurs across generations. This article asks how the methodology governing social interventions should be designed so that it becomes possible to interrupt the circuits that lead to the intergenerational reproduction of violence. It reports on a human rights training aimed at children who are no longer active participants in Colombia's armed conflict. The project incorporated an educational approach and a social psychology focus which, taken together, were able to make progress towards overcoming the effects of violence. The article seeks to show the importance of intuition and the coming together of different areas of knowledge in the educational and social psychology models the project employed. A strong focus on active therapeutic listening has been particularly important.