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This small book is organized into seven stages, each one a chapter, of a "moral reasoning conflict resolution therapeutic program." The seven stages are communication, honesty, objectivity, intervention, conflict, emotions, and solutions. Each section begins with quotations and ends with exercises, including lines for the reader to fill in. Quotations come from diverse sources, including The Bible, Mother Teresa, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the author Dr. Short herself. Examples of the exercises include writing a letter to God expressing one's most honest feelings and, as the author of one's life, repainting in words a "change on life and choices of colors." The overall theme of the manual is that we choose how our life will unfold, and with genuine honesty and a will to change, we can make positive choices, taking steps such as those outlined in this guide to better our situation. The series Choices is also available as separate segments in book and/or audio DVD form.
This pleasantly formatted guide is simple and clear, notable for its enthusiastic and sincere intention to convey succinct, worthwhile material. However, it is not without weaknesses—spelling and grammatical mistakes, as well as outdated source material such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs from the 1950s, which is now widely discredited by psychology professionals. Choices 7 Steps provides an elementary starting point, but more discerning readers of the current self-help genre will probably look beyond it, to books that make use of more comprehensive, up-to-date material. Since it has a decidedly religious viewpoint, this was likely designed as a handout for study among specific groups relating to spiritual endeavors.