A Model for Learning to Understand and Communicate the Philosophy of Chiropractic: Using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

ABSTRACT Background From the beginning, communicating the philosophy of chiropractic has created turmoil within the profession, caused debate over its practicality, and sometimes been discarded as useless. A search began for a model to create avenues of understanding and communication. Other professionals have used Covey's 7 Habits as a model for success in communicating their principles and we felt that the chiropractic profession could make similar attempts. We selected Steven R. Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for its concepts and applied them to strategies for use by chiropractic educators or philosophy instructors. Discussion This paper describes a new model of communication by synthesizing the 7 Habits of Covey with the works of Stephenson in the Chiropractic Textbook. This model uses principled perceptions to illustrate a philosophical value for clinical practice and educational experience, so it can be more easily heard and understood by a wider audience. Conclusion The authors believe that the philosophy of chiropractic is as vital to the profession as is the science and the art. The authors suggest that using Covey's 7 Habits as a model is useful, practical, and worthy for doctors of chiropractic to consider as another avenue for dialogue, advancing the philosophy of chiropractic, and serving as a platform for learning to better understand and communicate the philosophy of chiropractic.