Outrageous Betrayal

Outrageous Betrayal
Front cover
Author(s)	Steven Pressman
Cover artist	Richard Oriolo, design
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject(s)	Erhard Seminars Training, Werner Erhard
Genre(s)	Applied psychology
Publisher	St. Martin's Press
Publication date	September 1993
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	289
ISBN	0-312-09296-2
OCLC Number	27897209
Dewey Decimal	158 B 20
LC Classification	RC489.E7 P74 1993

Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile was written by freelance journalist Steven Pressman and first published in 1993 by St. Martin's Press. The book gives an account of Werner Erhard's early life as Jack Rosenberg, his exploration of various forms of self-improvement techniques, and his foundation of Erhard Seminars Training "est" and later of Werner Erhard and Associates and of the Est successor course, "The Forum". Pressman details the rapid financial success Erhard had with these companies, as well as controversies relating to litigation involving former participants in his courses. The work concludes by going over the impact of a March 3, 1991 60 Minutes broadcast on CBS where members of Erhard's family made allegations against him, and Erhard's decision to leave the United States.

Representatives of Werner Erhard and of Landmark Education, the successor company to The Forum, expressed dissatisfaction with the book. During the course of his research for the book Pressman received letters from Werner Erhard's attorney Walter Maksym, and in 1994 the Chairman of Landmark Education Art Schreiber referred to the book as "defamatory". There are no references or citations provided in the book. In 1998, Landmark Education attempted to compel Steven Pressman to reveal the unnamed sources he had consulted while researching Outrageous Betrayal. Landmark Education later dropped this matter after it settled its litigation against the Cult Awareness Network (CAN). As a result of this settlement, CAN agreed not to sell copies of Outrageous Betrayal for at least five years.

Author

Main article: Steven Pressman

Steven Pressman (2008)

Pressman worked as a journalist after graduating from college in 1977.^[1] He worked as a journalist for Orange City News, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, California Lawyer magazine, and Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report.^[2] During his time performing research for and writing Outrageous Betrayal, Pressman published articles for the Legal Times newspaper and wrote articles and served as a senior editor for California Republic.^[1] In 1993, Pressman worked as a San Francisco-based legal journalist for California Lawyer.^[3]

Pressman continued work in the field of legal journalism after the publication of Outrageous Betrayal, with employment as a journalist for California Lawyer and as editor for the San Francisco Daily Journal.^[2] He wrote articles for publications including the Columbia Journalism Review,^[4] the Daily Journal,^[5] the San Francisco Examiner,^[6] the San Francisco Chronicle,^[7] and the United States Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs.^[8]

Research

Pressman first became interested in writing a book about Werner Erhard in 1991 while working as a journalist for California Lawyer.^[2] He conducted interviews and research, and succeeded in landing a book contract with St. Martin's Press.^[2] From 1991 to 1993 Pressman spent most of his time performing investigative work, research and interviews for the book.^[2] In the "Acknowledgments" section of Outrageous Betrayal, Pressman wrote that he relied upon both named and unnamed sources for information in the book, in addition to "previously published accounts, court transcripts, depositions, and other documents in which various individuals have recounted earlier conversations".^[9] In an article on fair use for Columbia Journalism Review, Pressman noted that he "gathered reams of written materials -- some of it private and confidential -- that were helpful in drawing a comprehensive portrait of my subject".^[4] Pressman wrote that legal counsel for the book's publisher insisted on numerous changes to the book "in order to reduce, if not eliminate, the possibility of a successful suit for copyright infringement".^[4]

By 1993, Pressman and St. Martin's Press had received approximately two dozen letters from Erhard's attorney Walter Maksym, though Erhard's representatives had yet to see the book itself.^[3] Maksym told the San Francisco Daily Journal in March 1993 that he wanted to "fact check the book", because he believed that "this is a first-time unknown author who apparently has interviewed only people who have negative things to say", and stated "We have cautioned the publisher that they are responsible for the accuracy of the book."^[3] Charlie Spicer, a senior editor at St. Martin's Press, described the actions of Erhard's representatives with regard to the book as "a desperate campaign by someone with something to hide".^[3] The author himself made specific reference to his legal support, mentioning "the potential legal rapids that confront authors writing these days about controversial subjects".^[9]:278

Contents

In Outrageous Betrayal, Steven Pressman gives a chronological account of Werner Erhard's life and businesses, from high-school years through his formation of companies that delivered awareness training and the later controversies surrounding his business and family life. The book goes into detail regarding his early life as Jack Rosenberg and his name-change to Werner Erhard, his move to California, and the initial inspirations behind the training that would become "est". Pressman writes that Erhard took inspiration from the self-help course Mind Dynamics, cybernetics, from the books Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, and from Scientology and the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. He also notes how an attorney skilled in tax law helped Erhard in forming his first awareness-training company, Erhard Seminars Training.^[10][11][12]

Pressman notes how Erhard and his businesses became successful within two years of foundation, and writes that his awareness-training programs trained over half a million people in his courses and brought in tens of millions of dollars in revenue. The book then describes controversies relating to both Erhard's businesses and his reported treatment of his family. Pressman details some of the lawsuits that hurt his business, as well as some of his conflicts with the Internal Revenue Service. The end of the book describes the impact and aftermath of a March 3, 1991 60 Minutes investigation on CBS News, where one of Erhard's daughters accused him of sexual abuse. Pressman also describes the successor company to Est, Werner Erhard and Associates, and Erhard's decision to sell the "technology" of his course The Forum to his employees and to leave the United States. The book's epilogue includes a firsthand account of a Landmark Forum seminar led by the former Est-trainer Laurel Scheaf in 1992.^{[7][10][11][12][13]}

Reception

St. Martin's Press first published Outrageous Betrayal in 1993,^[9] and Random House published a second edition of the text in 1995.^[14]

An analysis in Kirkus Reviews, noting the choice of title by the author, asserted that Pressman: "makes no pretense to objectivity here."^[13] Kirkus Reviews criticized the book, saying "What the author dramatically fails to provide by bearing down on the negative (to the extent that nearly all his informants denounce est and its founder) is any real understanding of est's teachings--and of why they appealed so deeply to so many." ^[13] Paul S. Boyer, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, reviewed the book in The Washington Post.^[15] Boyer wrote that the book "nicely recounts the bizarre tale" of Werner Erhard, saying "Pressman tells his fascinating story well."^[15] However he also commented that the book gives "only the sketchiest historical context" of the Est movement and its roots in societal experiences.^[15]

The book was reviewed by Library Journal, in which Mark Annichiarico described it as "a compelling account of the 1980s guru who rose from selling used cars to peddling personal transformation".^[11] Annichiarico recommended that public libraries place it next to Wendy Kaminer's I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional.^[11] A review by Mary Carroll published in the American Library Association's Booklist noted that the controversy surrounding Erhard was not new, but she wrote that "Pressman pulls the details together effectively."^[12] Carroll went on to comment: "Outrageous Betrayal is a disturbing but fascinating object lesson in the power of charisma divorced from conscience."^[12]

Frances Halpern of the Los Angeles Times called the book a "damning biography".^[16] Publishers Weekly also reviewed the work, and briefly described Pressman's assessment of Erhard. The review noted: "Pressman here cuts into him with surgical precision."^[10] Steve Jackson of Westword characterized Outrageous Betrayal as "the most damning critique of Erhard", and noted "Pressman details Erhard's past, including allegations of manipulation and tales of egomania."^[17]

Psychologist Margaret Singer recommended the book to a client as a reference for jargon used in the Est training.^[18] Books on subjects related to psychology,^[19][20][21] and books on cults and new religious movements,^[22][23][24] have later referenced Outrageous Betrayal for background on Werner Erhard and the Est movement, including Janja Lalich's Bounded Choice,^[22] and Irvin Yalom's The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy.^[25]

In 1995, Outrageous Betrayal was cited in a report on the United States Department of Transportation by the United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations in a case unrelated to Werner Erhard or Est.^[26] This was in reference to a Congressional investigation of Gregory May and controversial trainings given by his company Gregory May Associates (GMA) to the Federal Aviation Administration.^[26] The testimony given stated that, according to Outrageous Betrayal, a member of GMA's board had been influenced by Erhard Seminars Training and the Church of Scientology.^[26]

Landmark Education lawsuit

For more details on this topic, see Landmark Education litigation.

In March 1993, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Werner Erhard was "threatening a libel suit" against Pressman and St. Martin's Press.^[27] In 1994, Art Schreiber, Chairman of Landmark Education, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he considered Pressman's book "defamatory".^[28] In a 1996 article in Westword Steve Jackson noted: "Art Schreiber denounced the book as defamatory, but Landmark has yet to prove any inaccuracies."^[17]

Over a period of months in 1998, Landmark Education attempted to compel Steven Pressman to respond to deposition questions aimed at obtaining the sources he used for research on Outrageous Betrayal.^[29] According to a summary published on Rick Ross's website, "Introduction to the Landmark Education litigation archive", Landmark Education brought the suit under the pretext of compelling legal discovery for use in Landmark Education's lawsuit against the Cult Awareness Network (CAN).^[29] The piece also asserts that Pressman concluded that Landmark Education brought the suit "primarily to harass him".^[29] Attorneys Peter L. Skolnik and Michael A. Norwick of Lowenstein Sandler PC, who defended Ross pro-bono in a separate lawsuit initiated by Landmark Education^[29] wrote the introduction. Skolnik and Norwick cited the discovery commissioner in the Pressman case (who entered an interim order in the matter), as stating: "..it does not appear that the information sought [from Mr. Pressman] is directly relevant or goes to the heart of the [CAN] action, or that alternative sources have been exhausted or are inadequate."^[29]

Landmark Education dropped the action against Pressman after the settlement of the Cult Awareness Network litigation.^[29][30] As a result of the Cult Awareness Network settlement with Landmark Education, CAN agreed to cease selling copies of Outrageous Betrayal for at least five years, and to "decline to discuss Landmark or the Landmark Forum".^[31][32] From the resolution of the CAN board of directors: "In the interests of settling a dispute and in deference to Landmark's preference, however, CAN now agrees not to sell the Pressman Book for at least five years after CAN emerges from bankruptcy."^[31]

See also

	Books portal
	Psychology portal

• Human Potential Movement
• Journalism sourcing
• Large Group Awareness Training

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Alexander, Judy (November 18, 1997). "Memorandum of Points and Authorities In Support of Motion to Strike Complaint" (PDF). Landmark Education Corporation vs. Steven Pressman, Case No: 989890 (Superior Court of the State of California): p. 7. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Pressman, Steven (November 18, 1997). "Declaration of Steven Pressman" (PDF). Landmark Education Corporation vs. Steven Pressman, Case No: 989890 (Superior Court of the State of California): pp. 1–3. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Ross 1993, p. B5
4. ^ ^{a b c} Pressman 1994
5. ^ Pressman, Steven (May 12, 1994). "Church Calls It Quits: As Scientology Backs Away From Critics, It May Be Hurt in Libel Case". Daily Journal (The Daily Journal Corporation). 
6. ^ Pressman, Steven (March 13, 1994). "Ending Hunger - Or Raising Funds?". San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco Examiner Inc): p. A19. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Pressman, Steven (January 16, 1994). "Soul Revival at the Forum - No one calls it est or mentions Werner Erhard anymore, but the New Age movement he founded is still hawking personal transformation to the masses". San Francisco Chronicle. 
8. ^ Pressman, Steven (1994). "An Unfettered Press: Libel Law in the United States". Bureau of International Information Programs (United States Department of State). http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/press/press08.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-02. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Pressman, Steven (1993). Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 289. ISBN 0-312-09296-2. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} Publishers Weekly staff 1993, p. 446
11. ^ ^{a b c d} Annichiarico 1993, p. 207
12. ^ ^{a b c d} Carroll 1993, p. 7
13. ^ ^{a b c} Kirkus Reviews staff 1993, p. 986
14. ^ Pressman, Steven (April 22, 1995). Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile. Random House. ISBN 0-517-14335-6. 
15. ^ ^{a b c} Boyer 1993, p. D2
16. ^ Halpern, Frances (October 14, 1993). "On Hope, Blacklisting and Rancho Mirage Trio of new titles offered by Barricade Books includes one by poet and novelist Aram Saroyan, a Thousand Oaks resident". Los Angeles Times: p. 9. "'Outrageous Betrayal,' a new and damning biography by Steven Pressman." 
17. ^ ^{a b} Jackson, Steve (April 18, 1996). "When it comes to Landmark Education Corporation, There's no meeting of the Minds". Westword. http://www.westword.com/1996-04-18/news/it-happens/full. 
18. ^ Asimov, Nanette (October 15, 1995). "A Cult of Two - A reporter sifts through the ashes of what she once believed was an ideal relationship". San Francisco Chronicle. 
19. ^ Weiten, Wayne; Margaret A. Lloyd (2005). Psychology Applied To Modern Life: Adjustment In The 21st century. Thomson Wadsworth. p. 596. ISBN 0-534-60859-0. 
20. ^ Milton, Joyce (July 15, 2002). The Road to Malpsychia: Humanistic Psychology and Our Discontents. Encounter Books. ISBN 978-1-893554-46-7. 
21. ^ Lalich, Janja (May 30, 2006). Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships. Bay Tree Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9720021-5-8. 
22. ^ ^{a b} Lalich, Janja (2004). Bounded choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults. University of California Press. p. 284. ISBN 0-520-23194-5. 
23. ^ Jenkins, Philip (2000). Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History. Oxford University Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-19-512744-7. 
24. ^ Conway, Flo; Jim Siegelman (December 1995). Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change. Stillpoint Press. p. 19. ISBN 0-9647650-0-4. 
25. ^ Yalom, Irvin D. (1995). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. Basic Books. p. 584. ISBN 0-465-08448-6. 
26. ^ ^{a b c} United States Congress 1995, p. 834
27. ^ Caen, Herb (March 17, 1993). "The Daily Dailiness". San Francisco Chronicle: p. B1. 
28. ^ Bauder, Don (August 7, 1994). "Firm turns to est guru, still slides". The San Diego Union-Tribune (Union-Tribune Publishing Co.): p. I-1. 
29. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Skolnik 2006
30. ^ Skolnik, Peter L.; Michael A. Norwick (February 2006). "The Landmark Education Litigation Archive". Compiled by attorneys for Lowenstein Sandler PC (The Rick A. Ross Institute): pp. Subsection, Pressman. 
31. ^ ^{a b} Svoboda, William (November 3, 1997). "Certified Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Cult Awareness Network, Inc. A California Not-for-Profit Corporation". Cult Awareness Network. http://www.xs4all.nl/~anco/mental/randr/canresolution.html. 
32. ^ Svoboda, William (November 3, 1997). "Landmark Settlement Agreement" (PDF). 

References

• Annichiarico, Mark (September 1, 1993). "Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from Est to Exile.". Library Journal 118 (14): 207. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0312092962. Retrieved 2007-11-20 
• Bader, Barbara (Editor) (July 15, 1976). "Getting It". Kirkus Reviews 44 (Part II, Section No. 14): 821 
• Berzins, Zane (February 6, 1977). "Getting It". The New York Times Book Review (The New York Times Company) 82: 25 
• Boyer, Paul (December 9, 1993). "Book World - Erhard, From est to Worst". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company): p. D2 
• Carroll, Mary (September 1, 1993). "Pressman, Steven. Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile.". Booklist (American Library Association) 90 (1): 7: Adult Books, Non-fiction, General Works, Philosophy & Psychology 
• Denison, Charles Wayne (June 1995). "The children of EST: A study of the experience and perceived effects of a large group awareness training". Dissertation Abstracts International (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International) 55 (12-B): 5564. ISSN 0419-4217 
• Fisher, Jeffrey D.; Cohen Silver, Roxane; Chinsky, Jack M.; Goff, Barry; Klar, Yechiel (1990). Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training. New York: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0-387-97320-6 
• Hukill, Tracy (July 9, 1998). "The est of Friends: Werner Erhard's protégés and siblings carry the torch for a '90s incarnation of the '70s 'training' that some of us just didn't get". Metro Silicon Valley (Metro Newspapers). http://www.metroactive.com/landmark/landmark1-9827.html. Retrieved 2008-04-11 
• Kirkus Reviews staff (August 1, 1993). "Outrageous Betrayal. (Book Review)". Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Associates, LP., Nielsen Company) 61: 986. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0312092962. Retrieved 2007-11-20 
• McGurk, William S. (June 1977). "Was Ist est?". Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books 22 (6): 459–460 
• Pressman, Steven (January/February 1994). "Fouling Up Fair Use". Columbia Journalism Review. http://backissues.cjrarchives.org/year/94/1/fair.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-02 
• Publishers Weekly staff (August 9, 1993). "Outrageous Betrayal, review". Publishers Weekly 240 (32): 446. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0312092962. Retrieved 2007-11-20 
• Ross, A.S. (April 6, 1993). "Libel Suit Threat by Est Founder Erhard a New Biography Fires Up Hostility Against Publisher". San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco Examiner Inc): p. B5 
• Skolnik, Peter L. & Norwick, Michael A. (February 2006). "Introduction to the Landmark Education litigation archive". Lowenstein Sandler PC (The Rick A. Ross Institute) 
• United States Congress (1995). Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1996. Washington: U.S. G.P.O.. 834. ISBN 0-16-047352-7. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Outrageous_Betrayal_by_Steven_Pressman_cited_in_testimony_before_United_States_House_of_Representatives?oldid=454606 

External links

Citations and excerpts

• Chapter 4: A Door to Door Mind Salesman, from The Awareness Archives, copyrighted article is provided under U.S. COPYRIGHT ACT § 108.
• Chapter 7: Enlightenment in Two Weekends - The est Training, from The Awareness Archives, copyrighted article is provided under U.S. COPYRIGHT ACT § 108.
• Werner's Uncertainty Principle, article/chapter is excerpted from Stripping the Gurus by Geoffrey D. Falk.

Litigation

• Introduction to the Landmark Education litigation archive, Peter L. Skolnik & Michael A. Norwick, Lowenstein Sandler PC, Roseland, NJ, February 2006
• Landmark Education litigation archive, see section "Pressman".