A participant in a conflict, any conflict, may be thought of as engaging in four distinctive although not distinct activities:

• He must observe the environment, which includes himself, his opponent, the physical, mental, and moral situation, and potential allies and opponents.
• He must orient himself to decide what it all means, a “many-sided, implicit cross-referencing” process involving the information observed, one’s genetic heritage, social environment, and prior experiences, and the results of analyses one conducts and synthesis that one forms
• He must reach some type of decision.
• He must attempt to carry out that decision. That is, he must act.